Another reason, IMO, is that people are getting tired by constant grind and uphill walk caused by AI in this game.
My first couple of games on current version were brilliant. In time it started to get a bit tiresome. Constant pressure from AI, our players unable to dribble pass anyone most of the time.. constant chess play on the pitch. As charming and as challenging and fun it might be at the start - eventually this constant grind is becoming a bit hard to swallow.
We need a bit of breathing space on the ball. And Im not talking about gaps between defense and midfield - im talking about fun. Having a ball at our feet should be fun. We should enjoy it. The dribbling, the speed, the turns and passes. If AI X defending pressure will not be nerfed to bring back risk/reward defending and if our dribbling wont become more effective and fun to use - I can see people slowly getting suffocated and tired by all this.
I felt the same after trying the 1.0 version and going back up. I felt that was too easy and the current version to difficult, I'd try to dribble, felt like the animation took ages, get tackled, countered rinse and repeat. I'm an old skool gamer and when tricks started getting introduced never had the dexterity to learn more than the most simple tricks
Recently after putting auto feint on I started by just trying to perfect one skill, starting with the Right stick up, left stick forward dribble. Kept getting tackled, kept getting tackled etc. Then I randomly played with Milan and used Suso. This changed everything, His response to the inputs was so much better than the other players I'd been trying to dribble with and from that I've gone back an reassessed where I was dribbling on the pitch, who with etc.
I still get tackled more than I succeed but I know now that if I can get the other side of the defender with Son, use the shoulder button to hold him off, then tap sprint I'll leave him. I'm still then running into the next defender because I'm holding spirit too long, but only 5 times out of 10 rather than 9.
The biggest takeaways for me have been that;
To hold off defenders you have to use the shoulder buttons, without it they'll knock you off the ball, with it, you'll either ride the tackle or get fouled, but you have to keep it help down till you're wrong side of them and then you can move off.
Stats matter, coming from playing the other game most recent and consistently, it's taken a while to recognize who I should dribble with and what they can do. Even the most simple feint with the wrong player in the wrong place can be deadly.
Good way to practice in game is from the wings, isolate the full back and try to beat him, if you lose it, it's likely to be less dangerous then in the middle of the pitch
Perfect one move, then another. I've got two basic skills I use, plus the shoulder buttons to close control, that's it but I can take on defenders now.
Once you do beat the first man, the space opens up.
Like I said I'm no skill expert and typing that out is a much for me as anyone else, but honestly, it's not impossible to beat players in this game, and I'm playing on Superstar.