I closed down my squad this season as well
What I found the most difficult was that the semi finals of cup and chl, 4-6 players average were one yellow card away from losing the final.
At that point it was really challenging not to miss a vital player.
The good part is that I saw my players ending with some % more at the end of the season.
I think as market got really hard, small squad with multiposition players is the way forward