MM free kicks are useless!

100% agree with your observations and I could add about 20 more. MM is a complete farce if you ask me. For example, I’ve played with my defense set to “offside trap” for more than a month now and I can practically count the number of actual offsides calls I’ve drawn on one hand. In fact, instead of playing a real trap, my off-ball defenders regularly drop a yard too deep (instead of stepping forward) and they play the eventual goal scorer onside in the process. It’s the kind of tactical lack of awareness you’d get from kids playing an offside trap for the first time, not what you’d expect to see from the world’s best professionals!

More generally, I haven’t observed that the MM settings actually have much (if any?) effect on the game. I’ve tweaked defensive pressure and aggressiveness within matches and between them and I see NO discernible difference in how my team plays. Indeed, they STILL regularly sit back and fail to contest shots in and around the penalty area as if they are asleep. Similarly, when I’m down a goal late and pushing for an equalizer I make sure my passing speed is high and my shot frequency is maxed and my team STILL almost always fails to show any real attacking urgency. I’ll watch helplessly as we gain possession with 5 minutes remaining and then fail to advance the ball anywhere near the opponent’s final third (let alone attempt a game-tying shot!).

One of my other pet peeves with MM is the way you’re barred from subbing during a goal replay. Following a second-half goal is often the perfect time to sub a fatigued player or two, but there is little more than 2-3 seconds in which to make a change before the full-screen replay robs both managers of the ability to make changes before the ensuing kick-off. This is just silly. Users should be able to opt out of viewing what are essentially stock footage replays in order to actually manage their teams! After all, this is supposed to be manager mode!

Bottom line:  MM generates simulated matches that don’t much resemble real matches AND that don’t really afford the user discernible control over tactics (in fact, it appears most of the tactical sliders are just “dummies” that don’t actually DO anything except provide a short-lived illusion that you’re managing your team). Either improve the simulations AND the managerial controls or don’t make me sit and watch such an inane match (just simulate it all in a few seconds and tell me the result and the simulated stats so I can make lineup and formation changes ahead of the next one).