Build the war chest and you will find that the tokens also tend to accumulate pretty fast. Facilities are cheap and there will always be cash available for upgrades.
You will find that you you not need quality at this stage. Good formation and strat will keep you winning and winning well, simply by managing your squad.
When you are ready to buy the young uppermost shelf of players, they are yours ( 3 to 4 players at a time). And by then you already know how to manage them.