Football Manager's Minds-Teams Fate

In Burnley's Vincent Kompany's pre-season interview, he says, "We have to make this place (home ground) just a very, very unpleasant date on the calendar for any team that comes to us." Then he adds, "I'm not saying that is going to happen on day 1." He emphasizes that it doesn't happen overnight. However, this long journey, coming from the championship with consistency, building up, and being ready to face any team, is not new. As a manager, you should be in a position to confidently say, "We will win this game." Trying to be modest and sounding positive is not enough; managers should speak clearly with a defined goal.

This means the game has already been given to Manchester City! Burnley will likely lose their first game against Manchester City. Ironically, sometimes managers cannot assess their own team as well as they can the opposition.

Bristol City's Nigel Pearson delivers a clear message without being too cautious or overly positive. He states, "We want to surprise a lot of people this year" and "We want to achieve promotion." The clear message is that if it's not a promotion, expect to see Bristol City in the top 6 at the end of the 2023-2024 season.

Leicester City's Enzo Maresca's response should have been a simple "Yes" to the question about an immediate return to the premier league. Instead, he delves into talking about the "process to get them to the promotion" (his job) and continues with "if it's this year, hopefully," and "if not...." He emphasizes the importance of building something in the next 3-5 years, making it clear that Leicester City won't be promoted this year.

I mentioned "ifs" in my previous blog. A similar example was given by Hull City's Liam Rosenior, who used "ifs" and was not clear about what he really wanted to achieve. Football managers need to know the message they are giving out, as it can determine their team's fate. Football managers with a clear, precise vision must openly state what they want to achieve; otherwise, they only show that there is too much pressure on them.

Hakan Dokuzoglu
Yoga Instructor
Contact: 07501838888
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