It isn't that the AI counters you, it's teams being more wary of giving you space. If you win a lot they think you're a threat and sit back trying to counter you, as you get bigger/better your tactic should evolve. You don't need to make wholesale changes, little tweaks like lowering team or role mentalities are the way to go.
I had a good half season with villa using a 4141 counter, then teams would sit back. I switched the wingers to amr/l to give the lone striker more support and gradually implemented a possession system (support duties are great for this) This was enough to keep the run going. Season 2 has seen some games where teams still aren't willing to come at me so I've had to alter the 41221 to a control mentality and start to press more. I still have the other two tactics to switch between depending on the scenario.
The days of one tactic for an entire are gone now, you need alternate options.