It's been all patience for me. I'm either using:
3-5-2 (current Juve formation) used 33 times
GK, CD (Defend) x 3, RWB & LWB (Support), Regista (Support), BWM (Support), CM (Attack), Treq & AF (Attack)
OR a 4-3-3 used 9 times
GK, CD (Defend) x 2, RFB & LFB (Support), BBM & DLP & BWM (Support), Right IF & Left IF (Attack), Target Man
The 3-5-2 took a while to start producing results and scoring goals, but patience payed off. Now 13 points clear in Serie A from 25 games and averaging 1.8 goals per game (was averaging between 1.0 and 1.2 previously) and through to knockout stages of CL by grabbing 16 points and 13 goals in group (I did use 4-3-3 a little more here).
After that, though, you have to pick the right mentalities, team instructions and position-specific instructions, so it's not just the formations that do you wonders.