The Sports
Psychology Blog
Today's Sports Psychology blog follows Northern Ireland's surprise defeat to Latvia in the European Championship qualifiers.
Football: N. Ireland - Where Is The Passion?
'There was not enough urgency or passion in our performance'. The verdict of the Northern Ireland manager, Nigel Worthington, after the defeat away in Latvia. With European qualification on the line, it's a frank and surprising admission.
So why would the Irish deliver a passionless performance? There are a number of potential factors that inhibit passion. A key factor is when a team is over-prepared. Over preparation is born out of a cautious approach from management, who want to leave nothing to chance. Perhaps the opposition are afforded too much respect for their status. An inexperienced international manager may want to plan for every exigency. Control everything, for fear of losing control.
But in doing so he overburdens his players with information. The players have too much to think about. Or the players are given roles and responsibilities that negate their ability to express themselves. This can lead to a lack of respect from players to management that results in a listless performance. Lack of respect that comes from a feeling from the players, that the tactics and preparation does not resonate with their own measurement of their strengths and the oppositions weaknesses.
The key is to trust the players. Give them a game plan, of course. But to also make sure they have the permission to find their own answers to the problems they face. The managements role is to liberate the talent they have at their disposal, not try to control it.
Nigel Worthington says things have got to be learned. With a crucial game against Iceland coming up, it may be the management team that have the most learning to do.
