The eternal question:
Take Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk.
Both are manning a ST:TOS-era ship. Both have the crews they are used to, and Picard is given a few days to help familiarize his crew to the ship.
In a spaceship battle: who would win, and why?
Kirk will win. No question about it.
Why? Picard is a diplomat, and probably one of the best the Federation has. Kirk on the other hand is second only to Garth of Izar as the finest military commander in the galaxy.
You know your stuff, good sir! Picard gets some points for his "Picard Maneuver" to defeat the Ferengi; a move for which Data later said "there is no defense." But then when Riker barked at Data to "make one up" (while Picard was under control of the Borg), Data was able to comprise one, but only because he knew how Picard would react.
So yeah, I get it, everyone loves Picard. I do too. Perhaps Lt. Tasha Yar said it best, "if there was someone in this universe I could choose to be like, someone who I would want to make proud of me - it's you. You who have the heart of an explorer and the soul of a poet."
So I'm okay with Picard getting the vote of ultimate captain for everything except battle tactician. That's fair.