AI Interceptions in This Game Are Not That Ridiculous
AI Interceptions in This Game Are Not That Ridiculous
I understand that many people here will disagree with some of the things below. So first of all, let's get it out of the way and start with the things most of us will probably agree on. AI interceptions in this game CAN be ridiculous. We've seen it, the likes of leg extending backward or mid-air that would make Simone Biles jealous. We've also seen some defenders reading, reacting, and getting to full speed to intercept or block inhumanely fast. I agree that these are ridiculous and should be toned down.
However, interceptions like shown in this post are not that ridiculous.
Now, hear me out. I'm not a Konami fanboy. I don't like what they've done to the game. The micro transactions, lack of content, automation, etc. you name it. I'm here because I want to make the game better, and for that I want to be objective. Therefore, I'm here to be objective about interceptions like above and analyze why it is or it is not a ridiculous interception.
In the video, OP argued that Davids should not have intercepted the pass from Vieira to Albertini. OP paused the video toward the beginning and put some yellow dots/markers to indicate how far Davids is in relation to Albertini, and how close Vieira is to Albertini (who has some open space ahead of him). Essentially, this shows how far Davids would need to run in order to intercept the pass.
I argue that the moment OP chose to pause and add the dots is very misleading for a few reasons:
The moment OP chose to pause is NOT the moment where Vieira made the pass. It is the moment where just BEFORE OP pressed the through pass button.
There were few things between the pause and when Vieira actually made the pass. OP pressing the button and loading the power gauge, pass animation, and there may also be lag as well.
Between those two moments, circumstances have changed. Albertini has started to make a run forward, as expected in counter situation, even when using possession (more so as OP said that he used Quick Counter). Davids read and reacted to the play, started his run and almost to full speed. Even Vieira has moved forward by a meter as well.
Before showing what it looks like when Vieira made the pass, let's see the moment when Davids intercepted the pass. Two observations here. One, Albertini did make the run forward as predicted. Two, the spot where Davids made the interception is right on the path of the pass, but not close to where Albertini was the moment were OP paused the video. The distance that Davids had to cover in order to make the play was not as far as OP suggested.
Lastly, using the info above, here's the screenshot the moment Vieira attempted the pass. We can see that Davids is running at almost full stride. We can also see that the distance that Davids needed to cover is much less than the distance between Vieira and the interception point. At least in this case, no, players don't run faster than the ball travel.
Was Davids running too fast? I'm not sure. It looks like he covered about 7-8 m. But remember, an average EPL players can have top speed of 33-34 km/h, or little more than 9 m/s. As far as realism goes, players' speed is not the issue here. Additionally, someone made this good comparison on eFootball vs real life pass speed here.
What I will agree tho is that it's (almost too) amazing how Davids predicted and then reacted to what Vieria was about to do. But maybe that's what comes with 90+ Awareness + Aggression + Engagement + Destroyer. In real life, maybe some defenders have a lot of intuition and be able to make gamble like that.
Could OP have done something different? Maybe, that's not why we're here. I can see why he made the decision. There's a lot of space in front of Albertini. I can symphatize how annoying it would be to have your pass intercepted without the other side having to lift their controller. But that's where we are with this game: automation. Assisted passing can be made perfectly regardless of input and animation/lag delay. The only way to balance this without taking away the assisted passing is automated defending/positioning.
EDIT: It's spelled Viera Vieira (I don't have him it shows).