How much of football relies on having the right mentality?

Question

Ok, we'll have to agree to disagree won't we!

But you think Kuyt and Babel are better than Ronaldo and Giggs? Wow, not even I would say that! :P

(Look more closely at what I wrote!)

Answer 1

great Q

sure mentality has lots to do with it! n yes fergie may have to do witth the success of man u! but as for arsenal i think that wot eva they do they prove to be in each n every spot! they dunt just get there because of the big club signs! i honestly dunt think Arsenal was n is better off spurs! i dunt see how u cam compare the two!

Answer 2

A very good Q TP but you blotted your copybook by saying Liverpool have/had a stronger squa1 No chance, not by the squad I am seeing! United have by far and away a stronger and more depth squad! Players go out of the team due to suspensions and injuries and a very able deputy slots in and performs just aswell or close enough! Menatlity is VITAL! You can have the best ability in the world, the best players but if you have the wrong mentality you will not suceed! That mentality contains self belief and confidence in your team mates! Without it you will achieve nothing! Fergie is as good a motivator as they come!

Answer 3

I'd agree with most of that. Confidence is key, and I think it's the reason Liverpool seldom win against the rest of the top four. They need to have more belief they can beat them, which is easier said than done given their recent record against the other big four clubs.  

Answer 4

Totally agree with your point about having the right mentality, just look at Arsenal when they went unbeaten their confidence was so high they knew they would win before the game started, some people might think that sounds arrogant but if you believe you will win there is a good chance you will, but as soon as they lost (to Man Utd i might add) their confidence was knocked and i personally dont think they have really ever recovered since! The same i think can be said for Mourinhio's (or however you spell it) Chelsea you could tell by the way they all came out on the pitch and would huddle around him while he gave a last minute pep talk that the team spirit was so high it made them very hard to beat!

As for your point about the comparison between the Man Utd and Liverpool teams i nearly agree, i honestly don't see how you can say  Skrtel and Aggar are equal to Rio and Vidic (Skrtel maybe in a few years) and Carragher is definitely not as good as Evra as a left back although i would probably say he is as good as Vidic if not better (i hate saying that as Vidic is my favourite player) but hey thats football not everyone will agree about players quality!

Also answering this question has now put me to level 3 so thank you very much!

Answer 5

Good question. Some teams seem to win things without being better on paper. Team spirit, the squad mentality and personal toughness for the game are important factors. It is all very well having fantastic players but they have to work within the team. I always use the German international team as an example. Quite often they have reached finals without having any outstanding individuals. They just have good players with a fantastic will to win.  Then again, when they do have outstanding individuals they make the best use of them.

Like I said, good question, I think you are right.

Answer 6

lol ummm... a big part of football needs the right mentality. loool i dont even know what im talkin about!! ANYWAY AT LEAST I GET 2 POINTS!! :)

Answer 7

total disagrement bud i agree on the mentality bit... but if you think liverpools squad is stronger than uniteds i suggest you go to specsavers?? or help touz with the washing up ... lol..

i aint being bias bud i've told ya what i feel are facts... saying that on their day liverpool can give any team a game on the day... but a stronger squad no way jose... so you do go to specsavers ehh ...i suggest you go and help touz with the washing up then lol...

ok with the teams you just put out ...i think with ..

finnan skirtel agger kuyt babel carragher and keane your having a laugh...you have a very strong case with gerrard but take 10 years off scholesy and i'd have to say your having a laugh again..mascherano yep good case  but i find his hot head a liability... that leaves reina and torres i would just give it to torres at the moment .. but you do have a stronger keeper.. van der sar is knocking on now and is starting to make the odd silly mistake which could prove costly in the coming season ...

lmao i didnt notice that ... i think we both know what i mean lol..

Answer 8

Im not going to use your examples in my reply if thats ok, but just the main question ...

How much relies on having the right mentality ... EVERYTHING, because if a player goes out onto a pitch with the wrong mentality, of course it affects their performance, their game, and no doubt the overall result of the game.

This can be down to the teams Managers, with whatever they say or dont say to the players, this has to be one of their main jobs as a Manager, ensuring that the players go out with a positive mentality. Other times an incident can create the wrong mentality for players, no matter how experienced they are or are not, no matter what age.

My example, dont take alot of explaining, Arsenal v Birmingham City, February 2008, Eduardo's horrific injury ... how the other players mentality broke down completely after this incident for the rest of that game and for others afterwards too.

So it doesnt matter if your a big club or a smaller club, what the manager says or doesnt say, different players have a different mentality from one game to the next.

I hope ive covered your question, albeit in a round-a-bout way!

( i also go to Spec Savers!)

Answer 9

I think Chelsea and Man Utd are pretty much even in terms of player superiority.Liverpool has an inferior side,I think Arsenal have a good side,but their side is weaker than Tottenham,maybe even Aston Villa.I'm being unbiased here,I know you disagree,but without Torres and Gerrard,Liverpool will be nothing more than mid-table mediocrity.

Yes a right mentality helps a player to an extent.I mean,you don't go into a game thinking "I'm probably going to lose..." and then win.It's a self-fufilling prophecy.You'll start to play poorly thinking that it wouldn't make a difference,and then one thing leads to another and you lose.I mean,look at the England squad.How many newspapers and magazines calling for McLaren's head,how many English players slammed for not performing their best for England.They get pressurised,and when the going gets tough,"pop" went the weasel.

Sir Alex Ferguson is probably a very good psychologist.He is able to instill into his players a winning mentality.That's why he enjoyed a tremendous amount of success throughout his career.His mentality is that "Hey,it ain't over until it's over.You can still salvage something,even with the last kick of the game."That's why we have players that people like to call "super-subs".He tells that player "Hey,you're going to win us that game.",and if that guy believes it,he'll go out there and work his *** off trying to win the game.It's the belief that they have that they can make a difference.

Other factors come into play as well.What I can see clearly is that the managers are keystones to success.Look at United.We have arguably the greatest manager in history,Sir Alex Ferguson,managing our team.Yeah sure the early years were tough,but when we picked up steam we really rolled over everyone.Arsene Wenger is also a great influence at Arsenal.He brought them into the promised land.Jose Morinho is a great example.Look at Chelsea.3 years with Mourinho.2 Premierships,1 FA Cup,3 League Cups.Once he leaves,what did they get?Nothing.He left when Chelsea were chasing glory on 4 fronts.First,*bam*,lost to Tottenham.Then *bam* lost to Barnsley,Then *bam* *bam*,double whammy,losing to us twice in the EPL and the CL.Rafa Benitez is a pretty good manager.He won the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool.I'm not slamming your team,but realistically those 2 trophies you won were pretty much down to luck.Luck that AC Milan crumbled apart,and luck that Gerrard scored with virtually the last kick of the game.Both trophies won on penalties,the much maligned "football lottery".

In my opinion,if you want to compare the Liverpool XI to the United XI,only Gerrard and Torres would be superior to Scholes and Rooney,and that's because Gerrard and Torres have to carry the Liverpool team,while the United team have all the responsiblities spread out amongst the whole team.Kudos to the duo though,they have done a decent job carrying the team.

Answer 10

No offense but i'm still ROTFLMAO at Agger= Vidic and Skertel= Ferdinand and Gerrard better than Scholes(you've been reading that poll of caughtoffside.com haven't you?), its that some kinda wind-up?, if it was Carragher= Ferdinand, i'd be tempted to agree a bit, but Skertel???????

Anyway, i'd say in terms of quality, Chelsea are even with United, but in terms of squad depth, i'd say Chelsea edges it just a bit, cus they seem to have better back-up players than Man Utd. As for Liverpool, the only really good part of the team is the forwards, nothing special about the midfield or defense, but we'll see next season...

Answer 11

Mentality is a big part of football but you really do flatter Liverpool's squad. It's by far the weakest of the "Big 4". Expect a real race for that 4th spot with Tottenham this season.