There is no magic formula.......People win with all sorts of formations. They mean very little.

What matters is getting 11 players that consistently perform at 7/8/9 ratings and rarely below. You wont fix that instantly no matter what you do. Even buying the most talented players and training them won't guarantee much. Some players succeed, some fail, regardless of talent or cost.

But you are better off being at least 1* better than all the teams you play against. That is a start. If you cannot afford to spend real money be prepared to spend a lot of your free time on this game.