If you are playing with lees active teams, which I guess you are, simple things like boosting morale will bring serious dividends.
If you have active managers and stronger teams you must ho to the market, spend your tokens on the best defenders you can find, then midfielders, and then strikers if possible. Reason being that managers (including me) feel frustrated when a team with several qualities cannot beat a simple team, they begin to make changes like overloading the attack which favours even when you make no changes except for bringing in fresh legs.
Defend if you are the weakest.
Risk attack if you are the most active.