Rafa Benitez: Calmness Under Fire
It was a warm night on the 25th of May, 2005. Rafael Benitez sits in the dressing room, waitingAi??for his players to re-enter at half-time. Forty-five minutes of the UEFA Champions League final have passed. AC Milan lead Liverpool 3-0, and they look to be cruising their Ai??way to a seventh European crown, while the Liverpool players are lying on the pitch covering their face in their hands.
Two of possible scenarios can take place now. One: Rafa could scream at his players, a devilish outburst – much like Paolo di Canio – for the whole of the ten minutes, having a right to go at every single Liverpool player, how he thought they played like school kids at a park and that they should never enter a football pitch again. Two: He could a glass half-full look at the game, put the entire first half behind him, implore his squad to not let their heads drop, and send them out like warriors hungry for blood.
Although we can only speculate, knowing Benitez, it would be the second scenario Rafa would be reciting when he tells the story of that night in Istanbul to his grandchildren. Liverpool go on to score three goals in seven minutes, the game is level at 3-3 until and after extra time and Liverpool win easily on penalties. Years later, it is still labeled as arguably the greatest European comeback of all-time.
Jurgen Klopp Loses His Cool
In this season’s UEFA Champions League group stage match between Napoli and Borussia Dortmund, Neven Subotic was held back for three whole minutes before being allowed to get back on the field after receiving treatment for an injury. Napoli take their free kick as Subotic just makes his way into the box to defend. There’s a frenetic readjustment of defensive positions, Gonzalo Higuain gets a yard of space and directs his header into the back of the net. Napoli lead 1-0, the crowd goes ecstatic and Jurgen Klopp is raving mad. Klopp races to the fourth official, berates him for the time he took to send Subotic back on, gets red-carded for his agitation and is now set to miss Dortmund’s next Champions League fixture against Marseille.
Had Klopp kept his cool, is it safe to say the Dortmund players could have approached the game better in the second half? After goalkeeper Weidenfeller had been sent off for a deliberate hand-ball outside his box in first-half injury time, recovery was next to impossible. Dortmund will attribute their lackluster performance to being a man short for the whole of the second half. In truth, not being able to see their manager standing at the touchline yelling out instructions would have damaged performance severely as well.
‘Hairdryer’ Treatment More Popular Than It Should Be?
However, Klopp’s antics are not a new thing in football. The sight (and fables) of football managers losing control during a match is very frequent. So much so that it is nowadays one of many practices (read: fads) considered part and parcel of being a manager; getting the sack could be another. Given the money that is floating around in football, the pressure for results has never been greater, and the expectations of clubs and fans alike compel managers to push the barriers to achieve success. Many managers openly criticize players in post-match press conferences, something that might have been unthinkable some years ago.
It is vital to understand the mentality of the players. Some take it as a challenge to improve, while some others, as Roberto Mancini and Paolo Di Canio found out, take it personally and are never able to get back their confidence. Mancini destroyed the confidence of Samir Nasri while in-charge of Manchester City. Manuel Pelligrini has put an arm around him and told him how good he can be and the difference is there for everyone to see. Samir Nasri destroyed Manchester United in the first derby of the season. Paolo Di Canio has left Sunderland in a condition much worseAi??than what he inherited, and that cannot be a great thing for the club or the (former) manager’s own reputation. There were many training ground altercations that eventually led to a full-blown player revolt, ultimately leading to Di Canio’s sacking. The players’ mind was cluttered and it showed in the match. They have had a very poor start to the season.
It is no rocket science that across all sports, all successful teams have calm managers or coaches. The calmness of managers spreads in the team and that improves their game. While fear can also be used as a tool to inspire and motivate players, calmness and confidence under pressure is what separate the winners from losers in elite sports.
Ai??- byAi??Hemanth Pidaparthy
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