So today I wanted to figure out how to actually compare AJM and ABD player stats without getting totally lost in numbers. Felt like it should be simple, but man, it got messy fast. Started by grabbing last season’s stat sheets for both – just basic stuff like goals, passes, shots.
My First Stumble
Opened both spreadsheets side-by-side on my laptop screen. Ugh, instant headache. Columns didn’t match up at all. AJM’s sheet had “SCA” and “GCA” everywhere, while ABD’s used long names like “Shot Creating Actions.” Total confusion. Whoops! Learned real quick that you gotta standardize the labels first, or you’re comparing apples to spaceships. Spent like twenty minutes just renaming columns in my own copy so they meant the same thing for both players.
The Time Trap
Next dumb mistake? I was looking at their full season totals. AJM played way more minutes than ABD! Felt silly when I realized that 10 goals for AJM in 2000 minutes ain’t the same as ABD’s 8 goals in just 1200 minutes. Always check those minutes played, folks. Had to go back and recalculate everything per 90 minutes – divided each stat by their total minutes, then multiplied by 90. Basic math, but super important.
Finding What Actually Matters
Got overwhelmed staring at forty different numbers per player. Like, who cares about their throw-in success rate for this? Decided to focus on three things I actually wanted to know:
- Who creates more danger? (Looked at shots + key passes)
- Who wastes less? (Checked pass completion in opponent’s half)
- Who helps the team more defensively? (Tracked tackles + interceptions)
Ignored all the other noise. Made a little table in my notebook just for those.
Visuals Save Brains
Numbers swimming in my head? Yeah, no. Made two bar charts – one for AJM, one for ABD – using my recalculated per-90 stats for those three key things. Suddenly super clear: ABD rocked defensively with way more tackles, but AJM blasted him on creating chances. Colors helped too – red for attack stuff, blue for defense. Should’ve done this right from the start!
Quick Tips That Saved Me
- Fix the labels before even starting. Seriously.
- PER 90 MINUTES IS YOUR FRIEND. Screenshot this, glue it to your screen.
- Pick 3-5 stats max that answer your actual question. More = confusion.
- Draw it or chart it. Eyes understand pictures better than number soup.
Boom. Took some tripping over my own feet, but now comparing any two players feels way less scary. Just break it down step by step!
