How to Evaluate Players During Pre-Season and Define Your Final Squad in Football
Objective criteria for evaluating players during football pre-season: performance metrics, qualitative assessment and how to make squad decisions based on data.
Written by
João Araújo
Physical Education Teacher (FADEUP – University of Porto) · Futsal Coach – Level II · UEFA B License · Master’s in Physical Education
15 years teaching Physical Education in schools, 20 years coaching futsal at youth development level and 5 years coaching football. Federated and amateur football and futsal player.
Defining the squad for the start of the season is one of the most important. and most difficult. decisions a manager makes. There is no universal method that eliminates subjectivity, but there are approaches that make the decision more defensible, fairer and less dependent on selective memory or social pressure.
The problem is that most managers evaluate by impression: who trained best last week, who had a good friendly, who has more years of experience. Impression-based assessment is inevitable. and useful. But without supporting data, it becomes hostage to the moment and the evaluator’s emotional state.
Method 1 vs. Method 2: Qualitative Assessment vs. Criteria-Based Assessment
Qualitative Assessment (general impression)
Advantages: fast, captures nuances that metrics miss, weights leadership and attitude. Limitations: subject to confirmation bias, selective memory, social pressure and unconscious favouritism. When to use: for final decisions where objective criteria are tied.
Criteria-Based Assessment (structured grid)
Advantages: forces consistency, documents reasoning, enables fair comparison between players. Limitations: doesn’t capture everything. attitude, personality and leadership escape simple metrics. When to use: as the primary basis throughout pre-season, with qualitative assessment as a complement.
Decision Criteria
The best approach combines both methods: criteria grid as the base, with qualitative assessment for tie-breakers or atypical situations.
How to Build an Evaluation Grid for Pre-Season
A simple grid with 5 to 8 criteria, scored 1 to 5, is sufficient to structure evaluation. Define the criteria before the start of pre-season. not during or after, which would bias the assessment. Criteria must reflect the team’s game model: a centre-back in a high press system is evaluated differently from one playing in a mid or low block. ball distribution, defensive line positioning and communication carry different weights depending on the system and which of the four game moments it demands most.
Example Grid by Position (Centre-Back)
| Criterion | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive positioning | High | Occupies correct spaces without the ball |
| Ball distribution | Medium | Pass quality and carrying under pressure |
| Aerial duels | High | Effectiveness in aerial challenges |
| Line leadership | Medium | Communicates and organises teammates |
| Training intensity | High | Consistency throughout the entire pre-season |
| Physical condition | Medium | Progress across the weeks |
🔧 Useful Tool
Logging action statistics per player during friendlies. duels won, balls recovered, accurate passes. provides concrete data to complement qualitative assessment. The SportsLabTools Football Action Tracker lets you record this in real time during the match, without paper.
Comparison Table: Assessment Methods in Pre-Season
| Criterion | Qualitative Only | Criteria Only | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objectivity | Low | High | High |
| Nuance capture | High | Low | High |
| Decision defensibility | Low | High | High |
| Time required | Low | Medium | Medium |
| Perceived fairness by squad | Low | High | High |
How to Communicate Squad Decisions
As important as the decision is how it is communicated. Players not included in the final squad accept the decision better when:
- They receive specific, concrete feedback. not “you need to improve” but “your ball distribution under pressure needs more work”
- They know there is a documented criterion, not just an impression
- They understand the door is open. “if you develop in this area, you’ll have an opportunity in the next window”
Communicating difficult decisions with respect and clarity is itself a way of building club culture.
Checklist: Player Evaluation in Football Pre-Season
- Criteria grid defined before the start of pre-season
- Grid adapted by position (different criteria for GK, defenders, midfielders, forwards)
- Evaluation recorded after each friendly, not just at the end
- Statistical data from friendlies (duels, recoveries, passes) supplements assessment
- Individual feedback communicated before announcement of final squad
- Record maintained for reference in future squad selections
Conclusion
Evaluating players in pre-season is not an exact science. but it can be more systematic than “training impression”. A simple grid, applied consistently, transforms a difficult decision into a defensible one. And a defensible decision is one the manager can explain, the player can accept and the club can document.
See also: Managing the Squad List in Pre-Season: Giving Everyone Minutes Without Losing Structure
Track your players’ actions in friendlies with precision. Use the SportsLabTools Football Action Tracker to complement your assessment with concrete performance data.
Optional accelerator · the tool is always free
Reliable stats as soon as the next match
An action taxonomy ready for live logging from the bench, with pitch and goal location already active — heat maps and shot maps without configuring anything.