The Sports Psychology Blog
This Sports Psychology blog comes as Leicester City find themselves in the bottom three, as the Championship relegation battle reaches the final stretch.
Football: Leicester City - Relax!
''But if we're not going to score, then one slip up at the back and we lose." The words of Leicester City defender Richard Stearman, after a single goal defeat to Southampton. On Saturday, The Foxes blitzed the Bristol City goal to no effect. Leicester City are creating the chances. But, right now, are simply not converting them.
The more chances that are missed, the more the pressure mounts. The pressure not to miss. When a striker feels pressure not to miss, you can be sure they will. The pressure not to miss, causes them to tighten up in a desire for accuracy. Tightness negates timing and so the striker mis-times the chance. Thus the ball hits the post; the keepers legs; rolls across the line. Anything but go in. The more you need a goal, the less chance of finding one. Also, players will sometimes arrive late onto a chance, or even hide from goal-scoring opportunities, for fear of missing.
Good goal-scoring comes when the strikers are not thinking about what they do. They are also not scared of missing. Without the fear, their natural strikers instinct does the job for them. They are in the right place at the right time. It all comes naturally.
Ian Holloway should be making sure his hit-men, Howard, Campbell, Hume etc are in the right frame of mind for the next eight games. No fear of missing. Relaxed. Sure of their touch. Confident. Sure the Foxes need them to come good. But that need should be a pressure they welcome. Not a pressure they fear. They must rise above the general anxiety of the team and be warriors, loving the responsibility that rests on their shoulders. For they can, by their attitude, make or break Leicester City's season.
