What should one focus on when sparring 1-2 years in?

So I’ve been training for about 18 months, and I’m feeling a little behind. When I spar with some of the newer guys I feel like I should be smoking them because I’ve been at it 18 months now, but sometimes they land good shots or I feel like I just and am not landing enough shots myself.

I feel a little confused on how to approach strategy. Like I understand the basic defenses, i catch kicks pretty well and everything, but it seems like I just get in there and my mind goes blank. The other guy could be standing there not throwing anything and then I just think “now what?” Yeah I can feint a jab and then land a hook, or I can feint a rear round kick and teep and land it, but beyond basics like that I don’t really do any more than that. I sparred with guy today who’s been training for about 4 years and he smoked me. I get it, he’s got more training but I just don’t feel like I’m getting the hang of it quite like I should.

I think some of it is footwork and not really knowing how to approach it strategically. Are we always trying to create an angle or is it ok to just throw shots head on? Also, if he’s throwing shots and landing them, do I focus on defense or do I try to look for a counter? Do I constantly play the aggressor against someone who’s trained longer, knowing he can handle it? Or do I sit and let him throw stuff so I can focus on defense? Do I pick one combo and just try to find a good time to land it and only throw that? I guess I just don’t know what to even focus on at this point, like I hit this dip in progress and can’t get out of it.

Any advice is appreciated.