I tend to only have the top 2 or 3 leagues of the country I am playing in with a large database of players.
That way you get all the players and it runs fast.
Champions League winner is the one that can affect the top 4 situation in the Premier league.
I.e if a team outside top 4 win Champions league then 4th spot misses out....I don`t know if this actually happens in Fm though?
It happend when Chelsea won it and Tottenham finished in 4th but missed...
You can view how a player is suited to different roles when viewing their profile.
If you click onto the player then information or attributes it will show you the games they have played, the position they have played and their avg rating and stats in each position
The tactics have been updated so you can`t use the same ones.
I have managed to successfully replicate my tactics and have used the same/similar type for the last 5 games and have always had good results.