Bad Starter!

[Cat Harrison]

Do you buy players at the beginning of the Season? Sometimes I find it takes some playing & training (and assigning points as you like) to get the best form out of new guys. I tend to start the season with my veterans with best form, in their best formation. Nothing is exact in this game, and there are many ways to play it successfully. Be willing to fool around with orders and players skills until you find the way you want to play. I ..think defensively, and when I started that is what I built my team as, counter attacking, with offensive minded middlefielders, eventually I found that what we on here call Maple Leaf (DL DC DR -DMC DMC -ML MC MR -AMC -ST) worked well for how I think. I still play it. and slight variants of it are what my team plays best.

Also, if you want to compete in 3 Comps you need TWO teams, really,21 or 22 worth fielding (2nd GK is least necessary if you can hold enough reds to always fix him) you have to be able to rotate and sit out injuries. Your Team likely does better because it is no longer in Cup (or CL), and truly gets rested. From what you said, it is when you drop out of that third comp that things look up.

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

You make sense. My season does pick up after I get tossed out of a competition. Though, I make sure I have 18 players who can shuffle about when needed. Reserves are only for youth/free transfers, so far. Train/coach and sell.
I usually buy players near the middle of the season after I assess which areas need adding to. I'm not averse to buying at the beginning, though. No sense in turning away from gold. D:
I think I'm loyal to the players I started out with. Take my Rightback for instance. The chap has developed so well, been a 4* verging on 5* every season that I don't have the heart to drop/replace him. (Scores 1 in 3 and makes a goal every other game!) What I mean is, I experiment with the line up, but only if the DR can play. D: (Broke my heart to drop my DMR/MR. I inadvertently started training with AMR in my first season and with the new update, he's got 38/50 done since the end of Jan but his overall Q hasn't kept up with the overall squad Q. Had to drop him to the bench - though he's still the most capped in the team. T_T Bad man management skillz, bruh.)