After a few weeks of tweaks, I've found my groove. Semi controls, legacy defending (I suck at timing the the standing tackle button), and lowering the passing speeds.
I am playing CM with Milan, and bought Berardi in my first season and then Veratti in the second season. So far Veratti is everything you hope, I can control midfields with him so well. His long balls to El-Shaarawy whom I have playing as a LW are a thing of beauty, they get the defenses running backward and one Balotelli or Berardi into the box while the other drifts to the far post, and Bonaventura just hunts outside the box. Also, dribbling with Berardi is so much fun. Whether I'm on the counter, trying to get to the byline or cutting inside for a shot, I always feel like he can win the dribble even if he often doesn't.
Without Veratti I was struggling with posession, De Jong, Bonaventura and Poli aren't quite Xavi or Iniesta. So I was playing very defensive minded and getting Berardi into space on the counter, and having Bacca make runs behind the defense as Berardi would drive and conduct the counter. Now I can build up more often, which is a lot of fun.
Also the differences between Bacca and Balotelli are huge. I prefer Balotelli because Berardi and El-Shaarawy already make runs behind the defenders, and Balotelli gives me the physical presence to hold up the ball and find on crosses.
All around, having a good time with the game right now.
Just a questions, is there a way on PC to remove the stadium mosaics before every match? It's tiring.
I also wish you'd see empty seats at some matches, if both teams are struggling or one of the teams isn't a major force.