When Alex Ferguson starts talking about opponents, he does so in order to unsettle them and it usually works. Everywhere he has been, Jose Mourinho has projected himself as the undiscussed leader, thus serving as a lightning rod for any criticism - which he is more than capable of handling - and shielding his player from having to spend any energy dealing with it. Zlatan Ibrahimovic talks about himself in the first person because it reinforces his (already quite large) belief in his own abilities.
These subtle mental tricks don't fall within the common attributes one would normally require of football managers (tactics, ability to buy and develop good players) or player (strength, technique) yet without them these three individuals wouldn't be anywhere as successful as they are. What's more, everyone accepts that this is what helps make them so special.
The rest of this article can be read on Blueprint for Football.
Archives
0
Finnish Lessons
Every three years, education systems from around the world are evaluated by a system known as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) to determine the quality of education in maths, reading and sciences that the students in each country are receiving. Two countries have regularly ranked among the best ever since PISA was introduced in 2000; one of which expectedly, the other perhaps less so: South Korea and Finland.
That this happens is interesting because the two have a widely differing approach to education. The Korean results are largely down to sheer work ethic with the students regularly spending 14 hours a day studying for the all-important college entrance exam. It is as if Eriksson's 10,000 hours rule were applied to education, with the students looking to cram in as many hours of study as possible in order to gain the expertise they believe is required.
The rest of this article can be read on Blueprint for Football.
That this happens is interesting because the two have a widely differing approach to education. The Korean results are largely down to sheer work ethic with the students regularly spending 14 hours a day studying for the all-important college entrance exam. It is as if Eriksson's 10,000 hours rule were applied to education, with the students looking to cram in as many hours of study as possible in order to gain the expertise they believe is required.
The rest of this article can be read on Blueprint for Football.
0
A Time-Frame for Liverpool’s Youth Philosophy
The name of Horst Wein is unlikely to register with many football
fans. He never played the game at any
level nor has he made an impact as a manager.
Football isn't even his first love, hockey is. Even so, Wein is one of the deepest and most
influential thinkers within the game. He
was one of the first to strongly argue in favour of smaller sided games
(although he prefers the term 'simplified games') for younger players; views
that everyone now seems to be accepting and enthusing about but which were
considered as idiotic for a long time.
0
Time Management Key For Sammut
Whenever the Games for the Small States of Europe come round, it is the norm to see a number of records fall at the Marsa track as athletes push themselves to achieve the minimum targets set for them to achieve qualification. So it is proving to be this year with the opening weeks of the season delivering a host of new national bests.
0
Changing Party Traditions
Contrary to what Elton John sang, sorry has never been the hardest word for me. Instead what I really struggle with is to tell people ‘no’. It has always been a problem for me although, if I think hard enough, I believe that I can trace where it all started.
It was at a friend’s birthday party, more precisely when his mother came round holding a plate of stuffed eggs. I’d never tasted one but from the smell I knew that the last place I wanted to put it was in my mouth. Yet my tentative shake of the head wasn’t enough to deter her and, if anything, it seemed to strengthen her resolve to ensure that I ate one.
It was at a friend’s birthday party, more precisely when his mother came round holding a plate of stuffed eggs. I’d never tasted one but from the smell I knew that the last place I wanted to put it was in my mouth. Yet my tentative shake of the head wasn’t enough to deter her and, if anything, it seemed to strengthen her resolve to ensure that I ate one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Where I Write
Categories
Anfield Island
Art
Athletics
Award
Blueprint for Football
Books
Brazil
Calcio
Canoe
Coaching
Culture
Cultured Football
cycling
Eleven magazine
Featured Articles
Field
Five Questions for Cultured Football
Football
Football Pink
Footy Analyst
General
General Sport
GENSillum
Growing Up in Malta
Il Re Calcio
In Bed With Maradona
Inside Left
Interview
Ironman
Italy
Juventus
Late Tackle
Liverpool
Magazine
Malta
Masters Athletics
Merlin Publishers
Music
Olympiad
Olympics
Opinion
Parenting
Paul Grech
Pool
public relations
Recognition
Review
Rugby
Runaway Travel
Skylife
Snapshots of Malta
Snooker
social media
Spiel Magazine
Sportiv
Sports Book Chat
Sports Book Chat; Swinging Balls
Sunday Circle
Swimming
Swinging Balls
The Botafogo Star
The Gentleman Ultra
The Tomkins Times
Times of Malta
Torino
Travel writing
Triathlon
Twitter
TwoHundredPercent
Wales
Weightlifting
Well Red
When Saturday Comes
Writing
Writing for Charity
Youth Football