So just because someone plays the game to a certain level, they know more about the game. Have you ever watched Match of the Day over the decades?
Once an ex-player sits in front of a screen and starts to make comments about what they see, it is an opinion, and carries no more weight than someone/others who have watched that game, or indeed have been watching the game for decades. Some of the biggest plonkers who have ever opened their mouths and spouted garbage about games have been ex-players...