DEFENSE FEEDBACK (HONEST FEEDBACK)

1. Collision in Defense

Experience:

There were times when my opponents would just slowly move past my defenders without dribbling. They would use the cursor up and down, which stunned the full-back. To make matters worse, the defender wouldn’t step up or intercept; he just stayed near the line, leaving the attacking player free. They also couldn’t turn properly to tackle. It felt stiff, like EA was controlling them to stay in place. Empty spaces appeared everywhere in the box, no defending, no track backs, and players became slow. The goalkeeper couldn’t do anything. Even with actual dribbles, defenders shouldn’t be stunned for minutes; they will just freeze for like 5 seconds.

Problem:

Defenders freeze too long and lose awareness. Freezing is inconsistent and makes defending feel impossible.

Impact:

The game becomes mentally draining. Players are punished for situations outside their control.

Suggestion:

Defenders should recover quickly from simple movements. Defensive actions should rely more on timing, positioning, and player stats, rather than being frozen unrealistically for long periods.

2. Auto-Switch Players

Defense Side Experience:

During a counterattack, I had multiple defenders chasing a lone attacker. The game auto-switched control to a defender farther from the ball, leaving the closest defender unable to make a play. Manually switching sometimes made it worse, selecting a player far from the action.

Attack Side Experience:

While keeping possession, I had an attacker in the perfect position to break through. After a loose ball from aggressive marking, the auto-switch didn’t work at all. The closest player wasn’t selected, leaving me helpless and often resulting in losing the ball or the game.

Problem:

Auto-switch is inconsistent and sometimes fails entirely. Manual switching can select the wrong player, breaking defensive or attacking flow.

Impact:

Creates unfair situations during counterattacks or possession. Players feel the game is random or scripted rather than skill-based.

Suggestion:

Auto-switch should always prioritize the player closest to the ball. Manual switching should cycle logically among nearby players. The player that loses the ball, if he is the closest, should be switched to so the play can continue. Ensure auto-switch works reliably in all scenarios, both defense and attack.

3. Uncontrolled Movement (Autoplay OFF)

Experience:

I was losing 1-0. This match became too boring due to unnecessary collisions and referee decisions that weren’t fouls. It felt so scripted. I decided not to play, kept my hands off the cursor and buttons. To my surprise, as my opponent was moving, my defenders or players moved slightly. In a normal game, the players shouldn’t even move an inch at all because I had disabled auto play.

Problem:

Players move without input even when manual control is enabled.

Impact:

Defensive gaps appear randomly, making gameplay feel unfair. It removes trust in player control settings.

Suggestion:

When autoplay is off, players should stay fixed until commanded. Remove hidden scripts that move defenders automatically.

4. Defensive Consistency and Scripting (DDA)

Experience:

In one match, my defense played compact and organized, and I won easily. The players stayed in position, left no space for the opponent, and everything felt smooth. In the next match, with no tactical changes, the defense suddenly played wide. Spaces were everywhere, leaving huge gaps, and I lost. In another match, defenders played out of position and even joined attacks without being instructed.

Problem:

Defensive behavior changes from match to match without player input. It feels like scripting or Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) is controlling outcomes.

Impact:

Tactics become unpredictable and unreliable. Success depends less on player skill and more on hidden AI changes. This makes the game mentally draining and unfair.

Suggestion

Give players full control over tactics and playstyle.

Examples:

- Defensive Styles: Park the Bus, Balanced Defense, High Press, Man-to-Man, Zonal Marking

- Attacking Styles: Overlaps, Stay Back, Crossing, Short Passing, Direct Counter Attack

- Team Shape: Set defensive width and depth, build-up speed

Set-Pieces:

- Corners: near/far post runs, edge-of-box options, crowd goalkeeper

- Free Kicks: select taker, choose direct or tricky routines where two players disguise the shot

- Penalties: assign takers and rebound chasers

- Add an option to set team positioning: Free or Organised, so players can control whether defenders move freely or stick to assigned zones.

This allows players to lock in their chosen tactics and ensures consistent behavior across matches.

5. Poor Defensive Awareness

Experience

Defenders often act without awareness of positioning. All defenders may chase a single attacker, leaving the rest of the defense exposed. Full-backs sometimes abandon their lanes, creating easy scoring chances.

Problem

Defenders ignore realistic football positioning and coordination.

Impact

Defense becomes unreliable and frustrating. Matches feel chaotic rather than skill-based.

Suggestion

- Improve defensive awareness so players hold position, track runners, and cover gaps. 

- Allow customization of defensive line behavior and player roles.

- Add an option to set team positioning: Free or Organised.

6. Stamina Draining

Experience

1. During two-man pressure, when I triggered the second defender to press, his stamina reduced very quickly.

2. Stamina reduces ability too quickly, especially common for defenders.

3. I was marking, and as the auto-switch didn’t work as desired, only one player was trying to mark. When I triggered the second defender, as he was pressing, his stamina reduced quicker. It shouldn’t be like this.

4. Example: Defender 1 (stamina 85%) presses while triggering Defender 2 (stamina 87%). As they move to press, Defender 2 drops drastically to 55% while Defender 1 drops to 64%. Both are performing the same action, so their stamina should drop roughly equally, not so inconsistently.

Problem

Stamina drains too fast and inconsistently during normal defensive actions.

Impact

Aggressive defense becomes difficult to execute. Matches feel less strategic and more about managing stamina than skill.

Suggestion

Reduce stamina drain for normal actions like pressing and marking. Make stamina loss proportional to effort, and ensure it is applied consistently among players performing similar actions. Ensure defenders can maintain pressure without being unfairly penalized.

7. Second Defender Ineffectiveness

Experience

When I triggered the second defender to press an opponent, he was perfectly positioned to win the ball. Instead, he ignored the ball and chased aimlessly, leaving the first defender exposed and giving the attacker an easy path forward.

Problem

The second defender system is unreliable and inconsistent.

Impact

Double-pressing tactics are ineffective. Matches feel unfair and chaotic.

Suggestion

Make second defenders react logically, prioritizing winning the ball or blocking passing lanes. Combine this with improved auto-switch to ensure defenders coordinate properly.

8. Kick-Off Glitch

Experience / Suggestion

I noticed that kick off glitches are becoming a bit successful. What did you people do? When the opponent does a kick off, just switch off the trigger run button or let players chase him down or put him offside. This way we combat this cheat!

Clarification

The opponent’s triggered player running to receive the pass should either be forced into an offside position, or get chased down with limited space to pass. Alternatively, EA can switch off the trigger run button during kick-off so this exploit won’t be available at all.

9. Skill Moves Triggered by Accident

Experience

During aggressive marking, the skill moves button set to the left gets triggered accidentally after a successful marking.

Problem

This makes it difficult to defend properly, as defenders perform unintended skill moves instead of focusing on marking.

Impact

Aggressive marking becomes risky and unreliable. Players lose control and may create openings unintentionally.

Suggestion

There should be a fix so players can mark aggressively without accidentally triggering skill moves.

10. Substitution System

Experience

The substitution bench has 7 or 8 players, but in-game, we can only substitute 3 players. This is very limiting and inconvenient.

For example, I was playing a 4-4-2 formation and wanted to sub a left midfielder. On the bench, I had a right winger who could also play as a left midfielder. This player would have been perfect as a substitute, but the auto-substitution system only works if the positions match exactly.

Additionally, manual substitutions are difficult because they must be done while the game is live, with no dead-ball pause. This makes substitutions stressful and inconvenient during intense moments.

Problem

The substitution system is restrictive and lacks flexibility. It doesn’t account for players with alternate positions, and manual subs are hard to execute.

Impact

Players cannot manage fatigue effectively. Substitutions are inconvenient and can negatively impact match strategy.

Suggestion

Allow substitutions to consider players with alternate positions. Provide an option for manual substitutions during a dead ball.

Increase the number of substitution. The bench is 7, Allow for 5 substitutes. 

add ball pause for easier and more strategic management.

Improve the auto-substitution logic to prioritize the best available replacement rather than strictly matching positions.