The Confidence Coach's Sports Psychology Articles
On The Couch With Dr. Martin - 442's Sports Psychology Expert
The Confidence Coach's monthly Sports Psychology Article in 442 magazine. This article was written in advance of Germany 2006, as a sports psychology assessment of the major teams chances..
World Cup 2006
England 1966, Germany 1974, France 1988 all won the World Cup having had the huge psychological advantage of playing at home. Why home advantage should be so palpable may be debated at another time, but it is undeniable and fully integrated into sporting substructure.
Of course, other factors come into play when considering who might win a major tournament and home advantage was not enough to overcome inexperience for South Korea and Japan in World Cup 2002 or a history of underachievement for Portugal in Euro 2004.
But then Portugal always struggle to rise to expectation. Scolari tried to instill self belief and eschewed an over reliance on star names like Figo in order to awaken a seemingly dormant team ethic. Now that there seems to be belief and self-trust we could expect to see a much improved performance in this World Cup, although after their fragile effort of 2002 this should not be difficult.
Italy, on the other hand, had a reasonable opportunity to progress in 2002 and were ultimately defeated by their own inhibitions. They are always burdened by high, sometimes hysterical, expectation, but with a strong character like Lippi at the helm should be able to carry the strain more effectively then they did in say 1990 when they could not make the final leap even though they were on home territory. Then, they lost to Argentina in a dull semi-final, this time they are in a strong position to go further than a home nation riven with disharmony.
It is more than unusual to find Germany at odds with itself; usually it stares out, implacable, from its solid foundations and prepares to repel invaders. From Beckenbauer, Breitner and Berhoff they have had players who could understand and articulate what was required; now they have Ballack.
Although he almost single handedly dragged Germany to the final in 2002, but was suspended for that match, he could not be seen as a figurehead for the home nation. The same is true of the California based coach, Klinsmann, who has been derided for his hands off approach and idiosyncratic tactics. However, the team will wear the burden of history lightly and will not be easily shaken off course.
England, on the other hand, with a twisted logic that is simultaneously embraced and mocked, tend to write history in advance of events, so it is unsurprising that they usually disappoint, hitting a hurdle hard early on and tripping over the next to last barrier in most tournaments. There is a lack of deep belief so that all matters, even the most superficial, are given undue attention and each minor problem is a potential disaster. Thus a distorting mirror is held up to the team to reveal a lack of trust or faith. No time for building or reflection is permitted, success is now, failure is everything else.
Untouched by self doubt, the Dutch are, for the most part, more patient with their team, and seem quite tolerant when the always talented, if awkward, squad leaves a tournament earlier than it should. The wink which Frank de Boer gave when ambling to take a penalty in Euro 2000 epitomised their insouciance.
Often, they are at odds with themselves, but coach Van Basten understands this and has the intellectual means and footballing pedigree to handle any difficulties and to take his team to the semi final, at least, where they may have to overcome Italy.
If Spain are to join them they might have to defeat not only Brazil, but their reputation as perennial underachievers. That they have the players is unquestionable, but whether they represent a united nation is very much open to question. Perhaps they need three teams, to represent the dissonant voices of Catalonia, The Basques and the rest of Spain before they can have a coherent culture to sustain them.
For many in Brazil, football is intrinsic. Born in a favella, like Ronaldo, the route to fortune and fame is via football. Thus, for the underclass, the path of life is clear and is routed through Mineirao, San Siro and the Bernabau. Winning the World Cup is winning the game of life. Few other countries with realistic World Cup hopes are so umbilically tied to who they are as footballers.
Perhaps it has held them back politically, though this is changing, but if The Selacao meet and beat, say, England in the semis this year and retain their trophy by overcoming, maybe, Italy in the final, a country will feel that it has again attained its manifest destiny.
Martin Perry: Confidence Coaching & Sports Psychology - 0044(0)77897 56425