Approaching the end of level 4 here and I still have some of the players I started out with. They are now 4-5 star at level 4. They warm the bench mostly, get pulled out for matches where I don't need the win, like in the champ's league when I have the group won already - or against lower quality bottom feeder league teams - when I don't want to risk injuries to my top players.

Sure, you lose a star each level, but they gain them back soon enough. And there's more pleasure in training a player up than buying a scout player. I have bought a few each level, but they're not always that much better than your young trained players as the stars may suggest.

You'd be mad to buy all new every season ... plus it'll cost you. And these games are best played spending little as possible, or not at all.

I started a second team that are now level 3 to see how I'd do without buying any tokens - they won last season and are currently in 2nd place level 3, and in the CL semi final.

You do not have to spend in this game, only do so if you want to, you cannot buy wins.

I have been beaten soundly by lower quality teams in the league because I slipped up on formations or tactics. It doesn't help that my better players always get injured... but that happens everyone, whether they pay to play or not. By doing it both ways, with 2 different teams, I see both sides.