When I started playing this 3 years ago, I won 7 out of the first 8 leagues without spending any money.
The only thing it took to achieve it was watching my brother played for a few months. He's also f2p with many titles, including a cup title I never won (both of us have CL titles).

My dedication to pulling the extremes of f2p has gone to levels so ridiculous now that I'm shooting for a league title with no token and booster spent during one season. That is, tank (stocking up resources), but still win.


Stay away from bidding wars no matter what happen.
For the best bang for the buck, try to grab young 5* players for 1 token during the middle and later stages of the season.
Decisions of selling should always based on player rating, not quality.
If you lack funds, try not to extend contract but sell them before it expire, and sign new players instead.
Try to keep your average age as low as possible.
Keep track of your captain's performance, if he's not doing a good job maybe someone else can do it better.
Try to keep your building construction non-stop until everything is maxed out.