TackleZone Midfielder Score
Balances creation, defensive work and goal threat, because midfield is the position where one number explains least.
What it measures
Midfield is the hardest position to rank, because two players doing completely different jobs share one label. A deep-lying holder and an advanced playmaker both appear as "Midfielder" in the data.
TMS spreads the weight across creation, defensive work and scoring so neither profile is ignored outright — but see the limitations, because this is a compromise rather than a solution.
Components and weights
Match rating
35%
The provider's per-match rating, averaged across the season. Carries the most weight in every score because it is the only component that reflects things the counting stats miss.
Key passes per 90
25%
Passes leading directly to a shot. The cleanest creation measure the feed reports.
Assists per 90
15%
Weighted below key passes because an assist depends on somebody else finishing.
Tackles + interceptions per 90
15%
Defensive work from midfield, so a holding player is not judged purely on creation.
Goals per 90
10%
Rate, not total, so a forward who plays 1,200 minutes is not punished against one who plays 3,000.
Percentages are read directly from the live formula, so this table changes whenever the score does. Each component is normalised across the qualifying pool before the weights are applied.
Why it is built this way
Key passes are weighted above assists on purpose. An assist requires a team-mate to finish; a key pass is the part the midfielder controlled.
Tackles and interceptions are combined rather than counted separately, because the split between them depends heavily on how a league's data is collected.
Who qualifies
900+ minutes in the season block and a match rating of at least 6.8. Players below either bar are not scored, because a per-90 figure drawn from a few hundred minutes measures luck more than ability.
What TMS does not capture
The real fix is role-specific scoring, not a blended midfield score. A destroyer and a number ten should not share a formula, and while TMS spreads its weights to be fair to both, it will still favour the more progressive player.
Passing volume and progression are not in it. A metronome who never loses the ball but rarely creates a shot scores poorly.
It cannot see positional discipline, which is most of a holding midfielder's job.
We publish this section because a score you cannot argue with is not worth much. If one of these limitations matters for the player you are looking at, weigh the number accordingly.