I don't know what you guys were thinking, but all but eliminating the skill gap by reintroducing RIDICULOUSLY OP AI defending and CONSTANT TACKLEBACKS/REBOUNDS while making the game heavy, slow, and delayed... you've completely ruined the game. Manual defense is all but impossible unless you live next to a server, because everyone just fidget spins and the heavy/delayed gameplay makes your manual defender slide an extra 3 steps out of the way before it starts to change direction. Passes going in random directions, shots taking extra frames just to ensure the AI defender can get in the way. Pace stat not mattering. GKs either being impossible to beat or never making a save. Just RNG and delay, the game.
I'm sorry I don't live in a city with a server EA, but this game is borderline unplayable at this point.