The AI doesn't mark, track back or defend.

[Ssenjonnson]

There is a noticeable difference in the AI defending from Fifa 23 to Fifa 22. In Fifa 22, the users' team and the AI's team both defended as a unit. Meaning distances between the defenders and midfielders weren't great, teams generally kept things compact and defended as a unit. And as a user you didn't have to control your midfield players or wingers, the AI would track back and get in a defensive position to at least be in a position for you to switch players and defend. It's called being goal side.

In Fifa 23, the AI-controlled midfielders and wingers for the User never get goal side, they don't track back, and they don't mark their opposing player. This leads to massively unrealistic gaps between defenders and midfielders through which players can easily dribble or make runs through. 

The gaps in the defensive line for Users and AI are also massively unrealistic.

Can EA and the developers please take a look at this and correct it in an update? Can this be corrected for career mode users?

Much appreciated.  

[Roizarena]

Same situation, when the ball get through the defensive lines, the players just stop on their main positions. its always only the back line against the attack. Im used to play career mode since fifa 12 and im habituated to change team tatics and players instructions, but it seems that there is nothing the user could do to make the team to press togheter

[Pataby2]

EA Developers have never seen a football game, hwo should they know what tro program

[Moaa077]

thats only happen for us guys, not with Streamer or pro players.

[GoonerB]

It's by design.

A member of the dev team was quoted in an interview, that if midfielders track back and defended (like they do in the actual sport), that games would be boring.

So they code the users midfield to leave gaps and players open to allow for more goals.

The fact that such a small part of the community actually wants this "feature" and like games being 6-5 seems to be completely lost on them.

That, or perhaps there's another reason why midfielders & wide attackers won't defend unless they are 90+ rated with high defensive work rate, gold card, or some other virtual sticker with special abilities. 

It's just one of the many reasons why this game is becoming pure arcade and miles away from even being considered as a simulation any more.

Constructive summery:
The vast majority of your user base do not like or want this.
They want players to defend. It creates a challenge.

Don't expect anything to change though. EA have become extreamly profitable from this type of mindset, and it's highly likely this trend will both continue and escalate.

[TGR_CRANDOMC]

Crazy decision if that is the case, the majority of players would surely want realism in the game. I would actually love to have a game finish 1-0 at this point. I think the only thing that can stop the developers making such bad decisions and generally laziness with career mode is a boycott of future games.

[VicBoss2021]

@Ssenjonnson You hit right on the money.

This year the AI is terrible at defending (even on the highest difficulties). Attacking is not a challenge nor is it satisfying because the AI is awful at defending.

[czarachilles]

I been having this problem forever let me know if you find the solution 

[mcnatormc]

This really helped a lot for me : 

https://youtu.be/TZSDgi6rVuY

I personally adjusted these sliders differently:

- sprint speed ( 20/20 both)

- sprint frequency (50/50)

- half = 5 mins 

made my player career mode games way more fun, 1-0 or 2-0 wins is way more common, scoring goals is a lot harder. Hope this helps. 

[zenci1neyzen]

@mcnatormc i did marking 100 but still enougt me the one sprinter for run straight to score. this game is not real football anymore.