Manager mode is the long-horizon mode. The matchweek score is the immediate feedback, but the season score is the goal. A 4-3-3 manager who wins Tier IV every week but never wins Tier II is using the wrong shape for the card pool.
Pick the shape, then the cards
Most new managers pick the cards first and the shape second. The reverse is better. Pick the shape that matches your card pool's strengths. If your pool is strongest in midfield, run a 3-5-2. If your pool is strongest in attack, run a 4-3-3. If your pool is balanced, run a 4-4-2.
Captaincy across the season
The captain swing is large, but the season score is a sum of weekly scores. A captain that wins one week and flops the next is no better than a captain that finishes mid-table every week. The goal is the average, not the peak.
Reading your own results
At the end of every matchweek, write down what you got right and what you got wrong. The captain pick that flopped should teach you something about your fixture reading. The captain pick that won should reinforce the discipline that produced it. The notebook is the asset.