Tottenham Talk on Tuesday 7th Sept
Tottenham Talk on Tuesday 7th Sept
Good morning once again Top of The Table Spurs folk and welcome to Tottenham Talk on Tuesday 7th Sept.
Today I'm delving into my drafts folder to see what I have written but never published and plucked out a recent one on a topic I have covered several times in several ways, but which keeps cropping up, confidence.
We saw Harry Kane miss three glorious chances for England, partly, no doubt, to not having had much of a pre-season and being behind others in terms of fitness.
I spoke on Saturday of how nutrition changed the direction of his career, something off the field that affected on the field, says his nutritionist.
The missed chances won't affect his confidence, he has the added advantage of having he winning mentality others don't.
Compare that to say, Roberto Soldado who lost confidence and really wasn't helped to regain it or Vincent Janssen who succumb to the same fate.
This helps them maintain their motivation, resilience, emotional control and overall well-being.
There are always going to be times where players lose confidence, whether that’s going on a mini slump of form or over a longer period.
There are always going to be times where players lose confidence, whether that’s going on a mini slump of form or over a longer period.
You will hear ex-strikers tell you he just needs the ball to go in off his knee to lift a weight off his shoulders, but it is the individual themselves that put the weight their, why bother?
It's silly isn't it and entirely preventable, yet very few try to prevent it.
It doesn't make sense.
How you talk to yourself (self-talk), which we all do and body language (that few know) can help you perform in reduced confidence situations.
Take Steven Bergwijn going one-on-one towards goal, I don't think he has scored one yet, he missed against Man City, he missed against Liverpool last season, he seems to have missed every time.
You can guarantee when he is running through that there are negative thoughts in his head, you can guarantee he isn't confident he will score and the outcome is just as he thinks it will be, failure.
How you talk to yourself (self-talk), which we all do and body language (that few know) can help you perform in reduced confidence situations.
Take Steven Bergwijn going one-on-one towards goal, I don't think he has scored one yet, he missed against Man City, he missed against Liverpool last season, he seems to have missed every time.
You can guarantee when he is running through that there are negative thoughts in his head, you can guarantee he isn't confident he will score and the outcome is just as he thinks it will be, failure.
Same with Adama Traoré.
He had a shot in the first half against us that went for a throw-in and one-on-one with Hugo Lloris, he blew his lines.
Undoubtedly there are negative thoughts in his mind in these situations, he isn't expecting to score, so he isn't.
They both, therefore, have to change their thoughts when bearing down on goal.
How is either going to do that then, if they aren't taught how to change them?
They aren't.
Bergwijn might score in what will be, at least his 5th attempt now.
To improve his finishing is not about practice because he already has the skill, he'll do it time and time again in training, when there is no crowd, no pressure, what it means nothing, when he is relaxed.
They both, therefore, have to change their thoughts when bearing down on goal.
How is either going to do that then, if they aren't taught how to change them?
They aren't.
Bergwijn might score in what will be, at least his 5th attempt now.
To improve his finishing is not about practice because he already has the skill, he'll do it time and time again in training, when there is no crowd, no pressure, what it means nothing, when he is relaxed.
He needs to be able to take those feelings, those thoughts and transfer them into a game situation, then there wouldn't be a problem, he'd score more often and be a more valuable player to his team.
But he doesn't have the skill to think positively in those crucial high pressure situations.
That tells us his self-talk is all wrong.
But he doesn't have the skill to think positively in those crucial high pressure situations.
That tells us his self-talk is all wrong.
Incidentally I gave a link to a piece on self-image on Sunday (Don't Do This and You'll Have Failed Your Children), a piece everyone ought to read and an absolute must read for every parent.
A sports psychologist or football psychologist can change a players self-talk, that's their job.
Correct his self-talk, you improve his confidence and he'll expect to score, instead of expecting to miss.
Do that and Bergwijn will score more, it's inevitable.
Is that valuable to the team?
Will that bring Spurs more points, will that win Spurs more games, will it make Spurs more dangerous?
Will it improve him?
Spurs paid £25m for someone who can't finish one-on-one. Wolves are said to want £50m for someone who can't shoot either.
For the cost of a session a week, two sessions a week, three sessions a week, whatever, you could solve the problem.
How much is the £25m man worth then, double?
You get the benefit on the field with more goals and everything that brings and the financial benefit off the pitch too.
It's common sense.
You don't believe in this (you're wrong), well probably nor does Bergwijn and that's the problem, because he isn't then going to seek help to improve something he doesn't even know he has a problem with.
A sports psychologist or football psychologist can change a players self-talk, that's their job.
Correct his self-talk, you improve his confidence and he'll expect to score, instead of expecting to miss.
Do that and Bergwijn will score more, it's inevitable.
Is that valuable to the team?
Will that bring Spurs more points, will that win Spurs more games, will it make Spurs more dangerous?
Will it improve him?
Spurs paid £25m for someone who can't finish one-on-one. Wolves are said to want £50m for someone who can't shoot either.
For the cost of a session a week, two sessions a week, three sessions a week, whatever, you could solve the problem.
How much is the £25m man worth then, double?
You get the benefit on the field with more goals and everything that brings and the financial benefit off the pitch too.
It's common sense.
You don't believe in this (you're wrong), well probably nor does Bergwijn and that's the problem, because he isn't then going to seek help to improve something he doesn't even know he has a problem with.
A 6/10 performance can be changed in to an 8/10 performance simply through having a positive mindset.
That's what a manager wants.
The tools in a sports/football psychologists toolbox are memory, imagination and perception.
You all have a memory, you all have an imagination and you all have perceptions.
They focus on their achievements, performing a skill well, they remember it in detail, they remember the emotion that went with it and recreate that mentally when in a similar situation.
This is why winning the first trophy is so important, it gets you over the mental barrier.
When was the last final we performed in as equals and didn't go into our shell.
On the big stage, we haven't performed for a while and the way the club went out the Europa League speaks volumes about the mentality of those players.
Winning the UEFA Europa Conference League is vital, it's the first step to us winning bigger trophies, it'll remove a mental block.
Winning the next trophy will be easier, although it is important we put ourselves in a position to do so soon after.
Rehearse those emotions, those feelings every day and you go onto the pitch with a success mentally and successful feelings that help and enable you to perform at your very best consistently.
We all have off days where our mood dips.
A players mood affects their performance.
How easy do you find it to change your mood?
It's the same for players, so they need a mechanism where they can change their mood.
If they don't, they might give you a 4/10 performance, when with the right mental preparation that could be pushed back up to an 8/10 performance.
Pepe did mental preparation, Didier Drogba did mental preparation, Glenn Hoddle did mental preparation, it worked for them.
It can work for players today is they took it on board.
Confidence breeds success and success breeds a successful environment that feeds more success.
Tottenham have created the physical environment for success, the training facilities, the stadium, medical facilities etc but the mental side is elusive.
Snippets
No idea if it is true, but I saw a statistic saying 75% of Tottenham’s goals this season have been started by a Pierre-Emile Højbjerg tackle, interception or pass.
Roy Keane on Psychologist: "Do you know what I found out? More of the staff were going to see him (the psychologist) than the players. As a manager, you are focused all the time on your players, but your staff need that support too."
Spurs development player, Dilan Markanday, has been shortlisted for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for August.
Spurs development player, Dilan Markanday, has been shortlisted for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for August.
This could affect a country qualifying for the World Cup and the financial advantages that brings.
Have a wonderful day and keep smiling, we are top of the Premier League.
Well that's it folks.
- Don't forget to share this post on social media
- Visit the THBN website each day
- If you are a supporters group, distribute the article or direct members to it
- Americans share share share, a big audience I'm looking to grow further
- Outside UK - again looking to grow the audience, every share helps
Post a Comment