From my understanding and observation, substitutions will take a very long delay when it is a heavily scripted match - ie. when the engine ‘wants’ us to lose a match, we can feel usual formations and strategies not working despite them being the most reasonable counters of opponents. If we allow the script to run without interventions, then it is more than likely we would get a troll result, draw or lose. And it is more than likely the engine has ‘set’ our top attackers to be missing chances after chances.

A half-time sub made could happen as late as after 70th min in the more extreme cases. When a sub doesn’t happen within 10 minutes, then it is clear the match is quite scripted. I would always make a complete change of formation, tactics and set-piece takers to try influence the match - eg. Move my MC/DMC/DC from MC to DC and ST/AMC/MC from ST to MC, change from attacking to defensive, change from flank to middle (or other way round), counter on to off (or vice versus), etc. I would do all I could to change the ‘calculations’ of the match, as the current script is the exact opposite of what my team should be performing.

The worst is nothing could be changed until the sub comes on to influence the match. Doing nothing is the very worst as it allows the script to carry on as it wishes.