I have it 1 bar, and from what I can tell most of my opponents are on 2 bars. Vast majority of my matches end with pass completion rates of 68&-73%, which is a millions miles away from FIFA's 90%+ ones. Only came up against the one manual player, who completely dominated me, so it's not suicide to venture online with those seettings. Definitely worth a go anyway, only thing I'd say is the learning curve is very steep intially. It's really crucial to get in a couple of quick, responsive CBs, then at least two technically gifted players up top. If you get through the introductory humblings (I went about 10 games without a win for a while, with a fair few 5-0s/6-1s in there), it'll start to level out and resemble football more. Most of my games now are 1-0 or 2-1 affairs, it's very reminiscent of PES 11's balance, but with the added flair of pace and dribbling. Plus, this year we have all the Copa Libertadores players to shift through for longevity
Badge, I've noticed the opposite, in that blatant fouls are ignored if advantage is played. Can't remember any incidents of the ref. coming back and booking someone in retrospect.