Every minute wasted, every missed tackle means a lost opportunity in the World Cup – a chance to make a difference for your national team and to make a difference in your homeland’s national pride. Germany 2006 has reached the stage where the steam is now seeping out of the pressure cooker. A single decision or play could make the difference in whether a team advances to the knockout portion on Germany’s world stage.
Will this be a day for celebration, a day to rejoice and begin planning for the next opponent? Or will it be the time that a team and its traveling supporters book their tickets home?
Having experienced the pressures of the World Cup first-hand in Korea/Japan 2002, I can feel the tensions rising from the German stadiums and team training facilities. Poor performances and unfulfilled expectations are translated into finger-pointing and tongue-lashing.
You just have to follow the quotes in world newspapers to see the effects the pressure is having on teams. To wit, U.S. team manager Bruce Arena taking public swipes at stars DeMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan after the Americans’ 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic. Or France’s top striker, Thierry Henry, criticizing his teammates and coaches on the heels of two dismal performances by Les Bleus.
The tournament is a mere 13 days old. But for Cup participants, it seems like an eternity. Time seems as though it is standing still, especially for the players, teams and even referees who have been struggling. With so much riding on each game and plenty of time to think, those involved begin to feel anxious, eager, sore, hurt and even bored and lonely.
Bored and lonely because you see the same scenery on a daily and hourly basis. The same hotel restaurant, the same food, the same faces. There is no spice or variety to your daily routine.
Wake-up, train, eat, meet to analyze games or opponents, eat, rest, watch television, rest, eat, play darts or ping pong or shoot some pool, and finally, sleep.
For the most part, teams and referees are isolated in hotels away from the mainstream public. Many coaches refuse to let their players have physical contact with the outside, wanting to ensure the players’ focus is solely on becoming world champions.
Sore and hurt because teams are playing a very compact game schedule. In a span of 10-11 days, a team will play three games – a game every third day. When playing in their domestic leagues, the players’ normal schedule is one game a week.
What does this mean for the players? No recovery time. No time to recuperate from the nagging injuries. Pain becomes a mind game. The pressures on the player to put the aches and pains out of his mind and to perform at a world-class level are tremendous. He must transform the bruises and soreness into crafty moves and game-saving tackles.
Despite your swollen ankle, you are anxious and eager. Cup participants want to escape the group phase and get to the final round. Players, coaches and referees alike are hungry for the knockout phase to begin. This is the real test. Everything else has been a midterm exam. The stakes are higher, the adrenaline is overflowing and every pass is life or death. There is no recovery from losses, only the end to a dream.
The pressure cooker is particularly evident to the coaches. They have one game left to book their ticket to the next round. Hence, lineup decisions and motivational techniques become increasingly critical. As a coach, your ability to address and handle the pressures caused by influences beyond your control – yellow cards and injuries, to name two – can make the difference between a win and a loss.
The World Cup becomes a mental game – a challenge like no other.
Mentally, players must be tough. Mentally, coaches must be psychologists. Mentally, referees must be steadfast and resilient as all decisions will be placed under a microscope. Mentally, teams must put their struggles behind them and find solutions rather than harp on the failures.
Teams and players that find these answers will be victorious. Those that find excuses will enjoy the final phase of the competition in front of the television. Mental focus and toughness may be the factors that take a team over the top. Most of the teams and players are talented. But do they possess the ability to be mentally fit, not just physically fit? Can these players draw on the 12th man – the mental preparation – to break through and catch the back of the net with a money shot?
Behind the scenes, the World Cup is about managing the pressure cooker and finding the edge to succeed at the sport’s highest level. As the first 13 days on the world stage turn into 15, 20 or even 30 days, the participants’ ability to stay on top of their games against considerable odds makes all the difference.
