FIFA 23 Review: 8 Ups & 6 Downs
1. Defending
Yuck.
Defending, unfortunately, is currently all over the place in FIFA 23. EA has implemented three new pace archetypes that place more importance on player speed across the turf this year - some players take a while to get going, whereas others are blistering across short distances and create separation from defenders with ease.
This all sounds good in theory, but defending players seem very, very delayed. Their sluggishness means AI attacks go through one-on-one with keepers far too often. Testing this out on every available difficulty didn't change things one bit. Your backline will get shredded by one good pass time and time again.
Then, they'll be on ice skates trying to get back. It's crap that defensive-minded managers don't have the tools to grind out a 0-0 or hold onto that precious 1-0 lead. Even sitting back fours or fives mega-deep doesn't remedy anything.
Patch this please, EA.