Lessons from the World Cup
Mexico vs England
As a fan, this game has one of the noisiest build ups that I can remember. All of the obstacles that stood in front of England and advancing to the quarter finals loomed monstrously. The altitude, Mexico’s home record and the hostile atmosphere. This had all of us writhing with anxiety, dreading the fact that this might be the end of the road.
However this isn’t how the game panned out. England reigning triumphant in the Azteca. Facing up to every hurdle and flipping it on its head. There is a lesson to be learned from this performance. The impact of ‘culture’ when built correctly. Of course England has world class players and the best of the best facilities, but this has been the case, relatively, since the inception of football. The culture was the missing piece.
Culture has become a buzzword in every arena that requires a team. Sport and business to name a few. Its concept and power has been somewhat diluted by the fact that we hear it so much. It can be defined as the collective personality of a group, shaped by shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. This team embodied the ‘English’ footballing personality that we have all been willing to be shown on stages like this. It felt at points like they were moving as one, all connected focused on the task at hand. Even when down to 10 men, there wasn’t panic. They embraced what Thomas Tuchel asked of them and went about their tasks with herculean effort.
With any winning program, culture is the driving force. A fundamental brick in the foundation. The cornerstone. To all of the people moaning about the selection of the England squad, they obviously don’t acknowledge this fact. Tuchel sees these players to a detail that most never will. He has picked the squad that emulates this shared personality. He has picked a squad that is capable of going into the lion’s den and coming out with its head on a pike.
Portugal vs Spain
Although this game was not the most entertaining, it was most definitely a tactical chess match. Unlocked at the death from an intricate Spanish move. The subplot that I want to focus on was how Ronaldo approached the loss, given it was his farewell to the World Cup scene.
In his post match interview he said "tomorrow I will get up the same as I did today, with a clear conscience…I gave it my all”. Many would be expecting a player of his standing to be kicking up a fuss, blaming things outside of him for the result. But this gives us an insight into the psyche of someone so elite.
To me, this says ‘I have put my all into what I can control, the rest is then out of my hands’. This is a key skill for athletes wanting to reach the highest level to develop. We need to simplify what we spend our energy on. It should be deeply focused on the things that are within our control. Like our attitude, diet, sleep etc…
On top of that, stand up and own your losses. We all want to kick, scream and shout when things don’t go our way. But the measure of a man is how he acts when he has lost. Can he stand up and say ‘I put my all in’ or will you blame others.
Argentina vs Egypt
Argentina are not making it easy for themselves. But a byproduct of that fact is that they are providing some of the most entertaining World Cup matches we have seen. There is a lesson in this unbreakable flow state that Lionel Messi has found himself in.
We have all seen the videos of the Argentina team walking out to begin their warm up. Walking slowly, but purposefully, all behind the main man who leads them out with a blank look on his face. Many have said for this to be a menacing intimidation technique. While this may be the case, I believe there is a slightly different thing at play.
Messi’s body language isn’t exuding aggression. This blank, but focused, look seems to be a quiet confidence of someone who knows the one of a kind ability that they possess. The players behind are the supporting cast. They know that in this state, he will be the one to lead them to victory. So they are prepared to make whatever sacrifice needed to accommodate his greatness.
Messi has now missed 2 penalties in this tournament. Yet he remains the top goalscorer. So many would let this take them out of the game. Head lost for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Not Messi, he has come back to score in open play in both of those games. He knows the stakes of each of these games, yet he plays with a lightness. Like a kid who loves doing this thing that they know they are great at. We should all try to cultivate this level of play. To know the consequences but turn up anyway. To fail, then not let it define your performance. Step up, repeatedly.
Ethan
