Matt u r right about the auti att/def on Superstar & Top Player. Professional is the way.
Coming from you, GPL - it's much appreciated.
Here is what I posted on another forum, hope it's okay if I paste it, as it illustrates my thoughts regarding Professional being the current way to play - and what Top Player/Superstar needs to pay attention to.
I think Professional difficulty is the way to go.
This is my "WIP" theory on the difficulty levels. Adherence to the tactics is relative to the difficulty played in. I post the following not to recruit those to play on Professional, but rather to illustrate the comparison of Pro difficulty to Top Player/Superstar, and how those difficulties could be improved with the simple dialing down of sensitivity to att/def levels & tactical adherence.
Top Player and Superstar - CPU adheres to the tactics, regardless of who they play, or what the game scenario suggests. So even if they are losing 2-0, it won't be until the 65+ minute that the att/def level will change, or the tactics/fluid formations. While there will be adaptive AI involved, their "mentality" will not shift until absolutely necessary. This is why you see the retreating AI regardless of game situation. As long as that level is at 2 defense, that's it - they will stick to that mentality. This is why the effects on the animation of those levels is so prevalent - and almost manic.
Take Barcelona and Germany's high pressure defense, it's not the right kind of pressure. They swarm the ball 3:1, but they don't cut off angles, instead they chase the player like a Benny Hill episode. It becomes a game of tag as a result, and makes ridiculously easy to pass around, or dribble around. Now, when they win the ball, it's an instant charge to go forward. Because the sensitivity, or effectiveness, of their tactics is so incredibly strong - that is all that is on their mind.
Professional - CPU adheres to the game scenario, and the adaptive AI becomes more in-sync as a result. The sensitivty/effectiveness of the tactics is not as strong, so you do not see a charge or retreat mentality. You do see some directness, but you will also see more build up (at least compared to Superstar and Top Player). You will also see more mistakes, why? Well, yes it's Professional, but it's also because players are not completely in-sync with the tactics or even eachother. There is no mind reading, and as a result, they play more human - and less robotic. This is why the best animations in the game have been seen on the lower difficulties, in particular Professional. This is why the best defensive shape has been seen from both the User and CPU. The only negative I have with Professional is that there will be times you can dribble past the CM/CDM, but even then there is the surprise they will make an attempt and foul you or dispossess you. The nice thing about the lower sensitivity to the tactics is that the defenders release from their positions/marking much quicker - because they are not
glued to the tactics, they are in-sync with what is happening to the ball.
The only thing missing, and it's critical, is the transition level. The transition, from Attack to Defense, or from possession to losing possession, is why the midfield is bypassed, and the result is a very end-to-end match - in every match. The best shape I have seen from a defense, is Germany on Professional. They use the level 4 def and the way they stepped up into the zone was sublime. See this match from the livestream at 3:22:10. They do not swarm 3:1 like crazy, instead they step up one-by-one, relevant to where the ball is. This is exactly how, as a coach myself, would teach my players to play a zone. It's a beautiful thing to see.
(if watching in full, first couple matches playing on Regular, just to have a base to compare)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRRzdWoNnTU
Overall, if the att/def levels & tactics could be lowered in their sensitivty on Top Player and Superstar, I believe we will see the true beauty of this game. It would be the perfect balance of common football sense and adherence to tactics/game scenario. The importance of a transition level is high though, but if there is a chance that is not within the possibilities to implement, then an alternate adjustment would be to dial down the sensitivity of the Attack/Defense levels - and their relevance to tactics implemented. Granted, other variables in the full version will come into play (not to mention all those greyed-out tactical instructions), but this is an area that should be considered important so those who love to play on the top difficulties, truly feel like they're being challenged properly - and not having to play charity against the CPU.