If your best players can only get you to seventh, you always sell them when silly offers come in.
If you're in contention for the league it changes your approach somewhat.
It alters your perception, it doesn't make it a given. It's a game of XI players, it's not your best players that are solely responsible for your position. There's plenty of determining factors - I know it's alien to your philosophy, but managers and other players also come into the mix aswell.