Seeing through the 'fog' - Are you able to think clearly during the game?

The game ends and it’s another loss. The team are struggling at the bottom of the end of the table and with the conclusion of the season drawing ever closer, the desperate need to collect points is obvious. The fans aren’t happy at all, but when the club signed this coach he was granted a long term contract, so sacking him at this moment in time is out of the question.

This was a 5th straight loss for the team and during the preparation for this game, the players were told to report everyday without a day off. There was an extensive amount of training sessions, with thorough analysis provided. To make matters worst for this coach, there were no injuries or suspensions to contend with, so there was an opportunity to pick the ‘best' 11.

Before this coach came into the role, the previous manager spent millions on new players, so this squad has undoubted ‘quality’ within the ranks.

There are many questions as to why performances haven’t been good enough, but one of the main ones is, what does the coach do during the game and how can they influence a more positive outcome?

Whilst there will be many factors to consider here, one of the observations made, is that the coach in question has poor game insight and is unable to manage the team in an effective way, which could be influencing the results of recent matches.

Upon closer observation, it’s apparent that the coach is struggling with analysing the opposition during the game, so firstly we need to consider a number of options to help;

> When analysing the opposition, the coach needs to try and identify what the opponents team intentions are?

> The game is unpredictable as we know and with ever changing situations presenting themselves (every time the ball moves) it’s vital that when viewing the game, the coach see’s what is happening. What could happen once, may not happen again though, so they may need to consider that what they saw was a coincidence, or was it formulating into a pattern??

> It’s important to look for patterns as the game evolves and see what happens when these take place. An example being, is there certain positions that players occupy during the build up? Do they look to progress the ball at a certain moment? Do they try to exploit a certain area of the field with a specific direction? Are they quick or slow at doing this?

Taking into consideration the possibilities that could happen early on in the game (especially if the team have problems - losing so many games in a row), it could be wise for the coach to sit down and observe the first 10/15 minutes with minimal instruction. Why would this be a good idea?

During the opening moments of the match, the coach can observe the many behaviours that the opposition display and get the first insight into how they could be playing. When the first build up has taken place, they can make a note of this. The first corner is conceded - how do they set up? When they are put under pressure, how did they react?

After the initial moments have passed, it’s time to make an assessment on the observations so far. Was there something that happened, that could cause future problems during the game? (Was there a threat to the team intentions?) If something happened on a one-off occurrence, we can call this an incident, so there is no need to act ‘rash’. As tempting as it may be, there wouldn’t be any need to coach this moment, as the coach would then be ‘incident coaching’ and not offering solutions where it’s needed.

In order to identify the most important patterns, the coach could either zoom in and make note of certain performances within the team, so focusing on certain individuals. “The right full back isn’t blocking the crosses into the penalty area”.?Or, stay zoomed out and try to identify exactly where the problem is unfolding from, before the ‘snowball get’s bigger’ and causes further problems.?

Now that the game is over the midway point in the first half, the coach speaks to his assistant on the bench to discuss key observations.?

One thing the coach will have to be extremely careful of, is not to let his first thoughts influence his decisions, as he could well be reflecting on an isolated incident and not that of a consistent pattern.?

Unfortunately, the team concede their first goal and they are now losing. By not overreacting and letting emotions control thinking, the coach can have a higher chance of making a successful decision. What happens now and what solutions can be considered?

When the brain state of the coach is calm and ‘under control’, the thinking can operate effectively. Both parts of the brain could work in the following ways;

> Unconscious - Can recognise certain situations and recall if this has happened previously. Is this a pattern you’re now seeing?

> Conscious - This will be important to recognise (see) certain situations and alert your unconscious brain of this fact.

Once you’re conscious brain ‘alerts’ your unconscious brain, you may then be able to locate a reference in your ‘football library’ and provide the situation with a solution.

The game has now entered the 2nd half and the team find themselves 0-2 down, with the fans now voicing negative responses onto the field. With certain players showing signs of incompetence, it looks as though substitutions maybe needed soon. Instead of focusing on these potential changes, the coach is still focusing on the last goal that went in and as a consequence, unable to focus on the next coach action that’s needed. If the focus is on the last action, you can’t prepare effectively for the next.?

As stressful as these situations may seem, with unconscious stress taking over the brain of the coach, being relaxed will be the most important thing that can happen. With emotions rising and the atmosphere turning a little toxic, it could be very easy to get distracted.

By focusing on breathing (similar to that of meditating), the unconscious stress can decrease, which may enable the coach to think a little easier. If this is a possibility, thinking could take place and an important decision could be made. These decisions have to be considered and evaluated relatively quickly, so once the brain is a lot calmer, pattern recognition will be easier and the glasses through which the game is being viewed, will become a little clearer.?

The final whistle goes and as we know, the game ended in another defeat. After the game the players sit in the dressing room and have a brief evaluation. The coach now has to go and speak to the press and answer some questions. Some of these could be uncomfortable as expected, due to the recent run of poor form the team has endured.

Depending on the result, these situations sometimes reveal certain behaviours of coaches with signs of discomfort, as well as enjoyment being visible. There is a saying in England, “don’t get too high when you win and don’t get too low when you lose”. There is an element of truth hidden in this message, where over celebrating or sadness override the brain and as a consequence, destabilise thinking and not allow it to operate at it’s full potential. Maintaining a calm brain, will always give the best chance of functioning properly.

During the press conferences after the game, there will (nearly) always be a question about the team performance and if the coach is happy or not with the outcome. These seem like worthwhile questions, but mostly it’s to appease the fans and those taking interest. If there is a team who hasn’t been performing well, the coach may not reveal their true thoughts and try to focus on some sort of positive. Having an interview so close to the end of the game, will also restrict any time to think and evaluate properly. If the coach attempts to reflect too soon, it won’t allow for information to be processed, meaning what is being said, could be some what artificial. It will only leave the opinion of the coach to discuss, which could be an inaccurate summary and merely these thoughts.?

Would you want to listen to facts or just opinions?

Everyone will of course behave in different ways when things get challenging. It’s natural to be uncomfortable and common for coaches to act in a way that shows signs of discomfort. Will this help your players and as a consequence, assist the team in being successful? Of course, the answer is no, so reflect and review how your brain acts during these challenging moments. Thinking impacts behaviour and if you can’t think clearly, you won’t be using your full (football reference) potential. Being unable to analyse the opponent, amongst other things, could be a sign that this coach' thinking is beginning to get out of control.

When games get tough, are you in charge of your thinking?

Spencer Fearn Hugo Langton Jack Brazil Bart Caubergh Alexander Flattum Alexandru Bourceanu Alex Stylianou Greg Borthwick Chris Russell Julius Riemann Nico Koch Christos (Chris) Themeliotis Harrison Gilkes Darren Murray Benjamin Slator Anshul Kumar Tamta

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