People have typed the i-word and the m-word so many times on this forum that I might start to

when I next read it.
My feeling at the moment - and this is a rant on sports games in general these days - is that we seem to be stuck in this rut of wishing and striving for 1:1 replication. If we aren't reproducing every Newtonian ounce then it's not enough.
And inevitably, because software development is a game of managing constraints, under the weight of this complex task other things get neglected. Things that might generate atmosphere, and immersion (which to me is an i-word people would be better to focus on), and gameplay depth/variety. The stuff that actually keeps the fun going.
The majority of the time, in almost any genre, the definition of 'good gameplay' can be boiled down to: frequently prompting the gamer to make meaningful decisions, allowing varied outcomes, with a clear feedback loop. (Games become boring when choices are not prompted, and repetitive when the outcomes are the same). Direct replication of the laws of physics might make you like the demo more, but is unlikely to be what will keep you playing FIFA/PES13 come next summer, if you ask me.
Ergo I would happily trade any amount of foot-planting, or Impact Engine and so on, in exchange for some well-designed development on things like strategy and personality instead.