The ratings of players are a complete mystery to be honest. A few seasons ago I became champion of the league. Had 12 spots of the 15 top spots in goals/assists/ratings. Next season starts and my whole team has 2 off weeks. Out of the cup and 7 or 8 losses in a row in the league. My quality was the highest in the league, mind you. My ratings dropped hard. Second half of the league starts and I get a perfect 13 wins in a row and end up in first place.

I have seen people perform incredibly well for 2-3 seasons (free kick specialist striker) only to see him fail game after game in the fourth season although he is still 6 stars. No idea what that is based on. Random invisible events I guess.