Okay I'm certain now I'm not imagining this, but if you play like the AI and needlessly keep chopping back on yourself, then dribble in circles, stop, repeat just like the AI does on the wing, it confuses the shit out of the AI defenders and leaves you with a load of suddenly opened space. Pretty sure football's not meant to be played like that, I'd recommend trying it just to test it out. Try it when you're near an opponent, circling and turning even when he stands off your attacker. Space just opens up. And by turning, I mean try turning like the AI does, not using any skill modifiers and just bare direction stick movement to turn as sharply as you can.
By doing this, constantly moving in different directions even when unchallenged on the ball, it throws the AI.
Is this an AI flaw? I'm not sure because the AI does it.