So, I actually sat down and did the player ratings for that Club América vs Necaxa game. Been meaning to try my hand at this sort of thing for a proper match, not just shouting at the TV, you know? Figured it’d be a good way to really pay attention to what each guy was doing, or not doing.
My Process: Setting Up and Watching
First things first, I made sure I had a good, uninterrupted view. Cleared the coffee table, told the dog to settle down. The usual pre-match ritual, almost. I tried to consciously follow players even when they were off the ball. That’s harder than it sounds, by the way. Your eyes just naturally want to follow the little white thing rolling around.
I didn’t take notes during the game itself. I find that distracts me too much from the flow. I just tried to make mental markers. “Okay, he made a good tackle there.” Or, “Oof, that pass was way off.” Stuff like that.
The Nitty-Gritty: Actually Doing the Ratings
Alright, so after the final whistle, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Old school, I know. I started listing out the players I could remember clearly, then filled in the gaps with a quick check of the lineup. Then came the numbers bit. This is where it gets tricky, right?
- Some were straightforward: You know, a player who scored a great goal or made a game-saving tackle. Easy. Bang, good score.
- Others were a headache: What about the midfielder who ran a lot but didn’t really achieve much? Or the defender who was solid for 89 minutes but made one crucial mistake? That’s tough.
I tried to be consistent with my own scale. Like, what does a ‘6’ mean versus a ‘7’? I had a rough idea in my head. A ‘6’ was ‘did their job, nothing special.’ A ‘7’ was ‘had a decent impact.’ Something like that. No science to it, really. Just gut feeling based on what I saw.
Reflections and Why It’s All a Bit Mad
It’s funny, doing this properly for the first time. It really made me think. You try to be objective, but it’s impossible, isn’t it? You always have your favorites, or players you just don’t rate for whatever reason. And then you remember one specific moment, good or bad, and it clouds your judgment for their whole performance.
This whole exercise reminded me of something completely different. Years ago, my kid was in a school play. Just a small thing, local community hall. Afterwards, all the parents were saying, “Oh, wasn’t little Timmy brilliant as Tree Number Three?” And “Sophie was a revelation as a cloud!” Every kid was a superstar. I remember trying to genuinely think who was ‘good’ in an acting sense, and it was impossible. You’re just caught up in the emotion and your own kid being up there.
Player ratings are a bit like that, I reckon. We all see the game differently. My ‘7’ could easily be someone else’s ‘5’. And that’s okay. It’s just a bit of fun, a way to talk about the game. I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job to become a professional scout anytime soon, that’s for sure. But it was an interesting little project to go through, from start to finish. Makes you appreciate how tough it is to actually evaluate performance properly.
