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After Man City have edged their way to the Premier League title ahead of Liverpool, both teams now still have two more games of their season to complete before the long slog is finally ever. Liverpool will take on Tottenham in the Champions League final, whilst Man City will play Watford in the FA Cup Final.
Pre-Match Routine is everything. Ahead of the FA Cup final, you can be sure that Pep Guardiola will be sending his troops out with focus on victory and a finally tuned pre-match routine. Visit Betway to see the latest odds for the game this weekend. Guardiola will also know that next year it may not be as easy, with rival coach Klopp insisting that Liverpool will be better next year.Â
For many the footballers for our team are heroes, it's important to remember that players are not superheroes and that their bodies need rest too. After 38 long Premier League games, Liverpool were pipped to the title by just one point; a huge disappointment for Anfield supporters who have been waiting for their first ever Premier League title but yet again to no avail. Man City, on the other hand, have still one game to play as part of their domestic season and despite defeating Brighton 4-1 on the final day of their league campaign, at times their first team looked tired and sluggish at the end of the game. Liverpool also lacked their normally clinical cutting edge against Wolves last Sunday, Take Mo Salah, for example, who definitely looked much more tired than per usual.
One thing that many top clubs are advocates for, is a proper pre-match routine for their players to ensure that their athlete's bodies are in optimum condition for 90 minutes of professional football. In recent years, English teams have been recruiting the best medical talent from across the globe, take for example at Arsenal where they have hired Shad Forsythe, a renowned specialist within the fitness field; but not just that Liverpool have also expanded their medical and physio teams to include some of the most prominent members of staff within the field in football. Clubs are spending millions per year to find that one small advantage that will help their team win come match day every weekend.
As you can see from the image below, it's not just physical but also mental attributes that players today need to worry about. Clubs hire psychologists to help players better handle the anxiety of going out to play in front of 50000 fans every week. In an age where mental health is so visible in the press, we also occasionally hear stories of players who suffer with anxiety to such an extent that it makes their own ability to perform suffer. Take for example that of German defender Per Mertesacker, who retired just over a year ago. After calling time on his glistening career, he told reporters that the pressure of going out to play in front of his own fans was too great and he couldn't hack it anymore.Â
Going in to a game with positive energy, i.e. positive chemicals transmitted from the brain to the rest of the body, can trigger releases of testosterone and adrenaline, both key factors for improvements in speed, strength and focus when on the football field. Negative energy on the other hand is likely to make a player rush in to a strange decision, or make a huge error, much like the likes of Shkrodan Mustafi for Arsenal this season, a player clearly low on confidence having suffered critical feedback at the hands of his club's fans over and over in recent years. Negative energy is also likely to disrupt a player's coordination with the ball.Â
A player going in to a game with a positive mindset is also less likely to suffer with worsened psychicality, he won't have the full 360 degree picture of what is going on on the field around him, whereas a more confident player is likely to see things happen before they have even kicked a ball! Think of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and you have yourself a great example of someone who goes in to a game brimming with confidence.
There are numerous things that a player can do, but as per the graphic the main three to focus on are. 1) Focus on Yourself, 2) Self-talk 3) Be Rational.
Players should go in to a game understanding that not everything is within their control, but they do have some responsibility to be in control of themselves. This is the key first part to having a good game on the field. Secondly, always self-talk, players should remind themselves that they have a job to do on the field and to force a good performance during the game. Then finally, the idea of rational thinking. At times, even the most incredible performance on the pitch can not guarantee a victory. That's just the way football works. If players can go in to a game with that kind of mindset from the off, they are more likely to make less rash decisions when they are on the patch.
Written by Ketan Patel
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