I like to think the commentary (combined with the stats and possession bars) can give you some idea of what is going on in the game. I'm sure you will work out your own ideas, but the sort of things I look for are:
Are my strikers losing every header to the defenders? If my defenders are hoofing long balls despite my short-pass tactics does this suggest my midfield aren't moving and finding space (perhaps I need another body in there)? If my keeper is claiming a lot of balls I'm happy.
I also think you can gain an idea of the opposition's tactics from paying attention, which is particularly useful. Are they getting caught offisde a lot, are their midfielders making lots of passes, or do they seem more direct, and so on.
I think most of it is pretty obvious really, if you are prepared to take the time during a match to look at the commentary, pause to look at your players' stats and the match stats and so on. It does make for a much longer game than many posters here experience - it takes me about 45 minutes to play a match, but I enjoy it immensely.
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