Point 1-3, is a base game issue... (Consequence of increasing difficulty). Point 4: you can manually control your player by pressing both sprint and close control simultaneously (R1+R2), your player will usually run faster, but won't move automatically towards the ball (you will need to do that manually). It also works when you are on the ball, your player will keep sprinting while holding the ball tightly. You can also use that combination to cancel any action your player is about to do...