Many players manipulate event and association draws as well. Same method as minamino mentioned. Sell before draw and buy back after draw. It's a good strategy. Most keep 7 well trained 9 star players in key positions along with 7 negative quality players. Just look at the top 100 associations.
For competition draws, it depends on luck. Many strong manipulators at some levels so manipulating might backfire. Tanking might be better. If you like challenges, its better to limit improvements on your team rather than face bs draws which you have no control over.