What am I doing wrong?

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/332585-How-to-Play-FM13-A-Twelve-Step-Guide
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2013-tactics-training/115433-raikan007s-teamtalk-guide-fm13-how-get-right-reaction.html

Couple of links to help. Also, how gelled is the team? Makes a major difference. Got onto your assistant, reports, team talk feedback, and check what the second sentence at the top says.

Hello there!

I have been a FM player since FM2007 and have always generally done ok, but more recently I have begun playing the game a bit further and instead of just sticking with the lower-leagues, where I find just having a decent team will win you games most of the time, I have started managing some bigger teams.

I am currently manager of Dortmund in 2019, and even though I have probably the best team in the league, I am finding that I am losing, drawing and condeding far too many goals. I am currently in October 2019 and we are 2nd in the league on 19 points from 8 games (6W,1D,1L). I seem to find I just win/lose at random, regardless of my tactics or lineup. I know I am not doing that bad in the league, but all of my wins have been against vastly inferior opposition, and have been lucky 1-0 or 2-1 scraped wins.

I have never really delved into the training and tactics aspect of FM, and usually just let my assistant manager do the training because I don't know what works well and what doesnt. I have tried experimenting (I did somehow win the La Liga with Ponferradina a few seasons back), but nothing seemed to work or change.

I generally line up with a 4-4-2 Diamond with 2 CM's (rather than wingers). Im not sure what else there is to say. If anyone can help me try and figure out how to start getting a bit more consistent I would appreciate it. I can post any pictures or provide more information.

What should I be doing when preparing for an opponent? What in-match commands work best and which dont work?

Sorry if I appear very overwhelmed, I never really realised the game was quite this in-depth and after spending countless years (Both in-game and in real life in terms of FM07-13) just managing Blue Square Premier teams, I am finding myself out of my depth!

Well, first of all if you have a record of 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss it does not seem you are winning randomly. It is a normal / good record for any team. Second, FM is no longer about winning all games by 3, 4 or 5 goals, it just does not happen. Third, you should have a tactic that is suitable for your players and not to adapt your players to the tactic you want. A good or the best tactic is the one that adapts better to your players. Finally, if you think you can improve your performance, watch the matches in full mode and observe what your players are doing wrong.

Thanks for your advice. I finished the season with 28 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses which I am really pleased with. I definitely think improving my team-talks helped a lot, although my team is still quite vulernable defensively, we often score a lot of goals and most games seem to finish 4-2 or 3-1 or something similar. However I am starting to think this is just because my defensive players simply arent good enough, as my coaches say even my 'best' defender would only be a 'good' First Division player.

Also, I have tried some new tactics and found the 4-5-1 'V' suits my team quite well, and I used that throughout the Champions League and managed to get to the final, where I was promptly thrashed 4-1 by Man United!

The best tactic is the one that most suits your players, not the one you want to your players to play and this applies to any tactic :-) One thing you are right: sometimes the problem is not with tactic, it is with the players. But maybe, just maybe, you are giving space between your defenders and your midfielders. Check the run from deep of your midfielders and your defensive line :-)