I agree it's not intuitive at all. You do have to press several buttons at once, but I'm pretty sure I correctly register them.
Also, the range is pathetic, even if you max out footwork and takedown ability during career. As it's supereasy to defend, why not increase it a bit? It looks weird when you "whiff" the takedown. Not at all like irl.
What's the difference between single and double? The animation seems to look always like a double, or am I doing it wrong? There's only a proper single if the opponent denies the initial attempt.