SPIELER - DURCHSCHNITTSLEISTUNG

es war eine durchwachsene Leistung vom Superstar = it was a subpar/an underwhelming performance by the superstar; player had his typical ho-hum game 

Spieler war gestern nicht gut drauf   = player struggled in yesterday’s game; it was a quiet/an off night for (player) 

manche Spieler finden sich mit Reservistenrolle ab = some players languish in the shadow of better athletes; in their passive/secondary role benchplayers try to find their comfort zone

einige Spieler akzeptieren ihre Reservistenrolle nicht = some athletes may get tired of playing second fiddle/taking a backseat to more heralded players

Spieler ist zwar gut, aber noch nicht gut genug = he is a good player but not yet good enough; player is not yet a finished product, rather still a work in progress; he is a serviceable defender/forward 

so schnell kann es gehen: mal hopp, mal top = how rapidly fortunes can turn: he went from hero to zero when he failed to score in the last minute; with his last-second goal he played the role of the unlikely/unsung hero

Spieler muss noch an sich arbeiten/gelobt Besserung = player pledges/promises to lift/amp up his game

nach Formtief/Anfangsschwierigkeiten ist Spieler wieder gut drauf = player is back on track/in synch; after a long slump player breaks out and scores 2 goals/30 points; player regained his swagger/mojo/derring-do/moxie; resurgent player is riding strong/ high again; player recaptures his earlier form/shows up again; player is brimming with chutzpa again; player overcomes slow start

Spieler rettet Mannschaft vor Blamage = player steps up/comes through in poor team effort/display and saves team from an indignity

die Leistungen von manchen Spielern schwanken sehr = volatile players may run hot one night and cold the other; player is struggling tonight

einige Bezeichnungen für durchschnittliche Spieler  = so-so/ho-hum player, grafter, utility man, journeyman, role player, hard worker, not first choice, dirty-work guy, spare-parts forward, benchwarmer, supporting cast, cog in the machine, garbage man