I just want to keep Vernant alive

I’m a new player. I’ve restarted 7+ times to get a good team to start over and keep people alive in Bf2. My first run I never got a prompt to plan out the knights before moving on. Everything I see now are players in their second run. Am I doomed to let characters die? YouTube videos aren’t any help either. No one posts crucial message on-game for these prompts either. I have no idea when to expect them.