Also to add to what Jimmy said, you can get away from them with Speed Merchants with the ball at your feet. Also, if you have players who have darting run cards or are just fast in general; use the r2 button after the pass. They will make quick darting runs through centre backs, or in behind full backs. If you know how to see a pass, and time it to beat an offside trap, you are away and no chance in being caught whatsoever. That’s more about the reactions of the person holding the controller, and their ability to read the game in an instant than the standard of players you have. I’m certainly not the best player, but I was regularly getting away clean through Samaras and Jason Roberts when I had them, certainly not the quickest or best players on the game, but reasonable and they never got caught by the defenders using off the ball runs.
It's actually probably the right balance if you ask me, I certainly prefer it to the old games where in a couple in the series everyone could skin a defender and he's gone. Running with the ball at a high speed is incredibly difficult skill to do with accuracy, so I am quite happy they have limited it to speed merchants and players being encouraged to use darting runs off the ball rather than sprint sprint sprint. There is much more emphasis this time on the guy holding the pad to make sprinting and pace situations happen this year more than ever, but it’s certainly possible on a regular basis.