That's exactly what I think. Try to change "focus passing" from "down both flanks" to "through the middle" and you won't see any change. The player would still go down both flanks trying to cross the ball tenths times a match without getting a single header. Statistically in a football match you would see a lot more headers in attack than in a Top Eleven game. Occasionally, out of 10 games, I can get a cross right and score after that.
This season I tried to train more crossing and heading, without any perceivable difference.
Then you play association and I'm tired to tell this everytime. I go full morale and full condition, using counter formation on a much lower quality team, and still getting a defeat or a draw.
Full condition doesn't make any change, morale neither, quality...LOL, doesn't change ****. Counter formation? Try to mess up your formation, you would actually see the players in the position you put them, but after a second they would still go wherever they are expected to go covering all the field.
All this makes me think what you said, they are just cosmetics and the real result is calculated over something else we won't really ever know. Probably is a mix of ball possession, positioning and I don't know what.
If you watch every troll result you would notice that the shot efficiency is almost perfect on the winning team.