Sigurdsson reveals mental weakness
I have spoken many times of the mental attitude being wrong at Tottenham and that it's not just a case of the wrong manager or upset players.
A winning mentality is a positive, I think, I might, perhaps etc have no place in it, I will, we will does. That will to win, the will to make yourself the best player you can be and to be the best for the team you can be is natural but it can be developed over time with the help of a sports psychologist.
Gylfi Sigurdsson recently gave an interview to the official website that on the surface says all the right things for the fans but actually highlights the wrong mental approach.
Gylfi starts off with a positive about the points total, then a negative about points against the top teams but then reveals a lack of toughness when he says 'if we can change that'.
Effectively he is saying I don't expect to, I hope to but I can't tell you I'm going to. While on the surface it looks positive, it isn't, it's a negative statement that shows a mental weakness.
We have heard time and time again at this World Cup about mental toughness, mental approach, the will to win and no excuses when defeated. Spaniard Sergio Ramos for instance when Spain were knocked out simply said, no excuses going on to say winners don't make excuses, losers do.
Joe Hart for England has been much the same when interviewed, no excuses, we are out, we weren't good enough. He is being touted as the next England captain and on that attitude I'd have to give him 100% support.
Others and the especially the media want to know why, who can we blame, who is to blame, who is our scapegoat. Rooney for me has lost his desire. When Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't track back and do the defensive work Sir Alex Ferguson switched he and Rooney around.
Ronaldo went on to become one of the two best players in the world and Rooney stagnated, happy to do other jobs for the team he has failed to make the most of his potential. badly advised he has stayed at Man United and started going backwards as a player recently.
We saw it when Roy Hodgson put him out wide against Italy even though we have Adam Lallana who can play that role. That should never have happened because Wayne Rooney should have told Man United years ago I'm playing central nowhere else and left it that was not the case.
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We have to hope Ross Barkley doesn't go to Man United and ruin himself in the same way. But back to Sigurdsson, he continued backing up the mental weakness shown earlier.
Now if he had said 'I'm disappointed not to have achieved my targets' (10 goals) then that is far stronger than a rather weak 'It would have been nice' statement.
What sort of mental approach is that, it would have been nice, it doesn't shout I'm a winner to me, it says you all go and win and I'll hide in the middle and get carried along, share in your success if you have any.
'Next season I'd like to play more regularly', no next season I'm determined or I'm going to improve my game to force the boss to pick me.
The mental difference between the two approaches is massive and it's players with the winning attitude we need. That attitude is the different between quality and mediocrity, Sigurdsson words shout I'll only ever be mediocrity.
He has the ability, as many players do, to be better than he is but he is holding himself back mentally. He needs to seek assistance to become the influential player he could be with the right approach otherwise he'll only ever be a squad man.
Stoke City have made enquiries for him but Daniel levy will want £10 million and that may be a bit rich for Crystal Palace after it looks like they have lost out on Jake Livermore, however Tony Pulis does have money to spend, reportedly £35 million, to cement Crystal Palace as a Premier League side.
New boss Mauricio Pochettino will have to quickly decide if Gylfi Sigurdsson figures in his plans or whether to let him go, although it seems since I originally wrote this article, that that is exactly what Pochettino has decided to do, assuming the media reports are correct.
A winning mentality is a positive, I think, I might, perhaps etc have no place in it, I will, we will does. That will to win, the will to make yourself the best player you can be and to be the best for the team you can be is natural but it can be developed over time with the help of a sports psychologist.
Gylfi Sigurdsson recently gave an interview to the official website that on the surface says all the right things for the fans but actually highlights the wrong mental approach.
“If you look at the final points total, we’re only three off our record haul and yet we only got one point against the top four teams, so if we can change that, we can push on again next season.
“The results against Liverpool, City and Chelsea away make it look a lot worse, even though we admit it wasn’t the best of seasons.
“The new lads have all had a full season, they are settled in now and that’s good for the club. Let’s hope we can kick-on.”
Gylfi starts off with a positive about the points total, then a negative about points against the top teams but then reveals a lack of toughness when he says 'if we can change that'.
Effectively he is saying I don't expect to, I hope to but I can't tell you I'm going to. While on the surface it looks positive, it isn't, it's a negative statement that shows a mental weakness.
We have heard time and time again at this World Cup about mental toughness, mental approach, the will to win and no excuses when defeated. Spaniard Sergio Ramos for instance when Spain were knocked out simply said, no excuses going on to say winners don't make excuses, losers do.
Joe Hart for England has been much the same when interviewed, no excuses, we are out, we weren't good enough. He is being touted as the next England captain and on that attitude I'd have to give him 100% support.
Others and the especially the media want to know why, who can we blame, who is to blame, who is our scapegoat. Rooney for me has lost his desire. When Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't track back and do the defensive work Sir Alex Ferguson switched he and Rooney around.
Ronaldo went on to become one of the two best players in the world and Rooney stagnated, happy to do other jobs for the team he has failed to make the most of his potential. badly advised he has stayed at Man United and started going backwards as a player recently.
We saw it when Roy Hodgson put him out wide against Italy even though we have Adam Lallana who can play that role. That should never have happened because Wayne Rooney should have told Man United years ago I'm playing central nowhere else and left it that was not the case.
Recent Stories:
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Spurs results before & after Europa League ties
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Tottenham monitoring Argentina left-back Marcos Rojo
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We have to hope Ross Barkley doesn't go to Man United and ruin himself in the same way. But back to Sigurdsson, he continued backing up the mental weakness shown earlier.
“I was happy with parts of the season, probably until around November time. I’d scored four or five goals by then.
“It would have been nice to have scored 10 goals, that’s what I look for every season. Next season, I’d like to play more regularly and help the team with a few more goals and assists.”
Now if he had said 'I'm disappointed not to have achieved my targets' (10 goals) then that is far stronger than a rather weak 'It would have been nice' statement.
What sort of mental approach is that, it would have been nice, it doesn't shout I'm a winner to me, it says you all go and win and I'll hide in the middle and get carried along, share in your success if you have any.
'Next season I'd like to play more regularly', no next season I'm determined or I'm going to improve my game to force the boss to pick me.
The mental difference between the two approaches is massive and it's players with the winning attitude we need. That attitude is the different between quality and mediocrity, Sigurdsson words shout I'll only ever be mediocrity.
He has the ability, as many players do, to be better than he is but he is holding himself back mentally. He needs to seek assistance to become the influential player he could be with the right approach otherwise he'll only ever be a squad man.
Stoke City have made enquiries for him but Daniel levy will want £10 million and that may be a bit rich for Crystal Palace after it looks like they have lost out on Jake Livermore, however Tony Pulis does have money to spend, reportedly £35 million, to cement Crystal Palace as a Premier League side.
New boss Mauricio Pochettino will have to quickly decide if Gylfi Sigurdsson figures in his plans or whether to let him go, although it seems since I originally wrote this article, that that is exactly what Pochettino has decided to do, assuming the media reports are correct.
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