The primary early goal is to establish a youth academy and a first youth coach. We are trying to create a revenue stream. Zero- and One-star players without much training aren’t going to draw huge offers from high level clubs. Two- and Three-star players with decent primary stats and some experience and skills will give us cash to recycle into the youth academy.

In the first season, use the players who are worth the most money and try to get their value up until the transfer deadline. Meanwhile grab the cheap players off transfers. The goal is to sell the older player for as much as you can while still having 4 players as substitutes.

At the transfer deadline sell off your valuable players. The goal is to get a one-and-a-half-star youth academy right away so you can get decent one- and two-star players into the system. Also grab points to upgrade your coaches and put them into the first youth coach.

Train your young players especially any two or eventually three-star guys under 20. When training trying to make contested passes, hold the ball if you have any control, etc… winning contested rolls gives you many more points than just running around randomly. Even losing contested rolls tends to give 2 points.

Try to train a sweeper and a defensive midfielder. If you have a no class guy in goal train him first. A decent goalie, sweeper and DM will help you immensely. Often the training DM or sweeper will be your best defensive no class guy or amateur defender.

If your DM has any skill at intercept train that. Otherwise Long Pass can be an option for when the DM tackles on the first move of the turn or slide tackle. Train the sweeper against either heading or rainbow feint. Long pass is actually a good skill for a goalie at this level to start your attacks. Otherwise being able to stop rainbow feint, heading or cannon shot is good. Rainbow feint seems to be the most common at this level.

The best defense at this level might be a simple T with a sweeper back and a CD, DF, CD in front. The CDs tend to make opponents wary of running close and the sweeper can get there automatically for any wide attackers. If you are breaking in a future CD who isn’t there yet try to train him up fast.

Long pass is where it is at for your midfield. The attack takes too long otherwise. A universal midfielder with slide tackle can also be very effective. He might also have high control to handle the ball mid-attack.

I haven’t played with it much but an LM/RM taking the ball wide who has high control can be a useful way to carry over an attack from one turn to the next.

Try to train someone who can score some goals. At first this will be a guy with decent accuracy. You will bump into some teams with terrible defenses and be able to score some goals. It is an odd combination, but if this forward has slide tackle, he can create his own opportunities.
In theory heading can be devastating at this level but I find it rarely works unless you have one passer with a rating over 50 and a CM with two levels of heading and this is rare.

A LM with high control and cannon shot works well. He can break in even on the first turn and try to get past the goalkeeper. On the counterattack he is better when he can break in and use cannon shot. It is almost always a score.

Rainbow feint is good at level two or three but rarely works at level one.

Have one CF as automatically moving toward the goal can be good. A cannon shot can be good on this guy as if he gets right on the goalie, he will be deadly. Long pass in the mid field can help set this up.

One theory when you can’t pass well is to have 3 forwards beside each other and aim in the center. About a quarter of the time the ball will randomly bounce to one of them.

Play the games and concentrate on a few players to improve the team and their value. Skills are very important so try to get a few guys to high specialization levels. If you can get a high long pass, you can get amazing attacks going, rainbow feint at level two or if you dare heading with a CM and moving your best passer to forward wing can both be winning strategies but both take luck, time and training at the lowest levels.

When you substitute always hit select on the guy you just substituted to make sure he goes into the game.

Don’t wear out your players. Let them rest a game when they get tired.

Know when to go for the win. Early on your squad will be bad but sometimes you will face teams even worse than you. Rest up your best tired guys during games you can’t win and use them during games you can.

Request more. When you get an offer for a player unless you think you can’t get a better offer or he is really old, try to get more out of the team making the offer. Even when you don’t want to get rid the player you can ask for the moon and then consider if that will up the youth academy.
Also consider if he is at his peak or anywhere close. An offer for a one-star player who is level 15 is one thing, the same offer for a 3-star is another.

Reset your defense. If the sweeper is outside his zone and there are gaping holes in your front, sometimes it is worth taking your three moves just to reset that defense so it isn’t an instant score against you.

Look at the other team’s defense. Put the forward you are trying to level up in front of the weakest defender.

Take breaks. The game can keep you in front of your screen for a long time. Also when you have sold everyone you care about, just quick sim games until you get a good player or two you want to train.