EA Sports FC 25 Struggles with Major Defender Glitch

Players of EA Sports FC 25 are reportedly dealing with a game-breaking glitch that disrupts their ability to move when certain commands are executed simultaneously, severely impairing their defensive capabilities. As the latest installment in the popular soccer simulation series, FC 25 features top athletes like Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi, alongside renowned teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, and FC Barcelona.

Over the years, EA Sports FC—previously known as FIFA—has faced criticism for its numerous bugs and glitches. From allowing players in FIFA 23 to include female soccer stars in male teams to making characters leap like Mario in FIFA 21, the series has experienced its fair share of technical issues. Since its release on September 27, FC 25 appears to have introduced a new significant glitch that complicates defending.

On Reddit, many users have reported that they cannot maneuver their defenders using the left stick when both the L2 (jockey command) and R1 (second-man press command) buttons are pressed together. This glitch makes it challenging to defend against fast opponents, as the left stick input becomes locked until one of the buttons is released. Some players have noted that this issue also affects both Pro Clubs and Career modes within FC 25.

EA Sports FC 25 Players Struggle with Defensive Glitches

Jockeying is crucial for countering skilled players in FC 25 who like to take on defenders, while the second-man press command adds an additional defender to apply pressure on the ball carrier. Using these two commands simultaneously can help regain possession and initiate counter-attacks. However, encountering an in-game issue when performing both actions can lead to disaster for defenders and significantly detracts from the player experience.

While this glitch is indeed serious, it’s essential to remember that FC 25 has just launched, and it’s common for large-scale games to face initial hiccups. Nevertheless, the nature of this particular glitch should prompt EA to take swift action to resolve the defensive issues players are experiencing. On Steam, initial reviews for FC 25 have been "Mixed," with players voicing concerns about the glitches and certain gameplay shortcomings in EA's soccer simulation.