FA Inspiration
Looking for inspiration? Then look no further. The FA Cup is a constant source of drama and inspiration.
I used to look down on the FA Cup. As a football fan, why would I want to watch these lower division teams play kick and chase for an hour when I've been raised on a diet of tiki- taka (firstly Barcelona and now Man City and no, I don't support either of them).
I was all about the quality. And it just wasn't there. So why bother? Well forget about the quality and revel in the excitement. League Two's Stevenage being 1-0 down after 88 minutes against the might of the Premier League's Aston Villa and going on to win 2-1. Sheffield Wednesday from League One beating the country's third best team, Newcastle United, 43 places above them in the league. Wolves holding Liverpool to a draw and forcing a replay. These results, with the underdog performing way above expectations, shouldn't happen. And yet they do. And consistently so. Year after year. Why is that?
With my sport psychology hat on, the FA Cup is a fascinating study. The external expectations placed on those teams higher up in the leagues is huge: from fans, the media, and team mates. Everyone expects the 'better' team to win. These expectations can take away the fun from the occasion and usually lead to anxiety, a fear of failure and negative thinking. Teams go from trying to win, to trying not to lose. These cognitive processes lead inevitably to physical sensations such as muscle tension, lack of coordination and shallow breathing - not ideal when trying to play a football match!
This fear of failure can be a positive driving force to help athletes improve. But it can also have a downside with athletes avoiding risk, playing within themselves and ending up playing more cautiously than usual. In an FA Cup match with a lower ranked team, the opposite is happening to your opponents: low or no expectations, playing with complete freedom and taking more risks. This combination of factors can often lead to the upsets that all football fans love to see.
This change in fortunes can happen during the match itself. Being the favoured team can initially lead to freedom and confidence, knowing that you are 'better' than your opponents and gives you a chance to show your full range of skills. And then perhaps the opposition scores a lucky goal, against the run of play. Suddenly there is a chance you might lose this game. A game that everyone, including you, thought you would win. The pain of losing becomes greater than the excitement of winning and we start trying to avoid losing.
It's the reaction to this fear of failure that we, as sport psychologists, try to change. An optimistic outlook can help and be promoted through self-talk or imagery. Coaches too can work to remove the pressure to win and together we can help the players focus on the processes before and during a match that may help a team win rather than looking too far ahead to the outcome of the match and the binary win/lost result that can be damaging.
Whatever your view of the FA Cup, I , for one, cannot wait for the next round.