World Cup 2010

[glaconman]

I don't watch much football these days so it's impossible for me make any meaningful contribution about which players should have been on the pitch or which formation they should play.

But it seemed that England were a team fearful of playing the game in an instinctive manner; letting the occassion control them rather than doing a professional job.

Ten years ago Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great article about 'choking' within the context of sporting failure. And it seems relevant to the English team now.

Perhaps for less technical sports (such as running) the occassion can be used to the sportsman's advantage. They can drink it up and use it to inspire them and lift them to great things. In running much of the hard work is done before the day and all that remains to be done is to stay switched on and concentrate; after all you're doing something very instinctive.

But for technical sports such as football and tennis (Gladwell uses the example of Jana Novotna) the occassion can impede the performance. Far better to try and divorse the game from the occassion and be pragmatic and professional about the job at hand. In the same way the team would be if they were asked to take on Germany on a training ground without any audience.

This is a tall order for anybody but I would argue a vital mental attribute for any footballer and something that could be taught through good coaching.