Players need to speed up decision making

Some footballers seem to have more time on the ball; they always know where everyone is. 

It’s not magic, it’s observation and developing mental pathways in the same way an athlete trains physically. 

To perform at the highest level, players need to speed up their decision-making.

The aim is to speed up the thinking process, an area that is still evolving in football, just as the use of data analysis and analytics is. 

Back in 2014 (when the article was first written), this was relatively new, but 10 years later, analytics play an enormous role in scouting and player development https://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.com/p/football-analysis.html.

The Science Behind Speeding Up Decision-Making

We’ve all seen players lose possession because they took too long to decide what to do. Like physical skills, decision-making needs training, too.

Take Yves Bissouma, for example. 

His quick-thinking in defence has improved significantly under Ange Postecoglou, but he can be indecisive in attack, as against Quarabag.

Similarly, defenders like Dragusin and Ben Davies needed better decision-making during Spurs' UEFA Europa League match against Qarabag on 26th September 2024, where both lost the ball as the last man.

The Role of Myelin in Decision-Making

To get technical for a moment, myelin is an insulating material that forms around the nerve fibres of neurons. 

This layer gets thicker with repetition and practice, effectively creating a stronger signal for your brain to send instructions. 

The more you train, the better your brain becomes at sending signals quickly and accurately.

Professor George Bartzokis from UCLA explained it best back in 2007:

"What do good athletes do when they train? They send precise impulses along wires that give the signal to myelinate that wire. After all the training, they end up with a super-duper wire. That's what makes them different from the rest of us."

This scientific understanding can be applied to football. 

While the concept of brain training for footballers is still developing, there are already pioneers like Michel Bruyninckx. 

As Academy Director at Standard Liège in 2012, he introduced a method targeting brain performance. 

Later, AC Milan adopted his techniques to train youth players using these methods https://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.com/p/football-brain-training.html.

Time for me to remind you I have been shouting for the use of sports psychologists for over 10 years now and it is as relevant now as it was then,

Imagine what Tottenham could have achieved in those 10 years had we adopted it, a Premier League title, a UEFA Champions League win and a League Cup victory probably!

Training Methods for Improved Decision-Making

Michel Bruyninckx and others have shown that faster decision-making is achieved through training that enhances brain processes like anticipation. MilanLab, AC Milan’s scientific research lab, reflects this philosophy.

 Domenico Gualtieri, a staff member at MilanLab, emphasized that they aim to put players in a position to solve problems on the pitch by themselves.

Similarly, former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously sought out intelligent footballers - players who could read the game, anticipate actions and make quicker decisions. 

This approach creates smarter footballers, capable of out-thinking their opponents.

Age and Mental Development in Footballers

Scouts in England often judge players by the time they are 17 or 18, but the brain continues to develop until the age of 25. 

Many players, like former England international Ricky Lambert (Southampton), who was released as a 15-year-old, can be overlooked because their physical or mental attributes have not fully developed.

He was capped by England aged 31 and played 11 times.

A study from the 2008-09 season showed that 57% of players at Premier League academies were born between September and December, while only 14% had birthdays between May and August. 

This suggests that clubs are selecting the more physically mature players within a given age group, neglecting the potential of younger, less physically developed players.

Lionel Messi was born in June and Andrés Iniesta was born in May... would they have been picked up by English clubs under this system?

Brain Training and Mental Performance

Uefa-A licence coach Kevin McGreskin argues that football is a hugely cognitive sport, and coaches often overlook mental training. 

McGreskin says:

"We've got to develop players' brains as well as their bodies. But it's much easier to see and measure the differences we make to a player's physiology than to their cognitive attributes."

If Tottenham want to succeed, they need to place more emphasis on assessing the mentality of a player before signing them. 

If they did, we wouldn’t see the same end-of-season collapses or failure to perform when it matters most.

Written 10 years ago, we do now seem to be making better decisions under Ange Postecoglou.

https://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.com/p/spurs-mentality.html 

Applying Brain Training to Spurs’ Playstyle

Football is an angular game that requires perception training, both peripheral sight and split vision. 

According to Bruyninckx:

“Straight, vertical playing increases the danger of losing the ball. If a team continuously plays angled balls at high speed, it will be almost impossible for opponents to regain possession.”

The key is to play angular passes, not sideways passes, which keep the ball but do little to tire out the opposition. 

Imagine a back four tied together by a string. 

With sideways passing, they only have to shift sideways together. 

This is all the opposition midfield players do when we slowly pass the ball between the centre-backs.

But an angular pass pulls them out of their comfortable position, forcing them to use more energy and make more decisions.

Tiredness leads to mistakes and mistakes lead to chances to score. 

Late in games, this can be crucial. Steven Gerrard’s lapses against Uruguay in the World Cup are a perfect example of mental fatigue leading to errors.

Why Spurs Need to Focus on Brain Training

Tottenham have only in the last few years been able to begin to compete financially in the transfer market, but we can outperform our rivals in other areas in my opinion. 

Mental training should be a cornerstone of our development strategy. 

We can’t keep hoping for winners to emerge randomly within our squad. 

Instead, we need to create a system that consistently develops winners.

If we adopt advanced mental training techniques, we can nurture players who think faster, act smarter and outperform their opponents in every scenario.