Judging A Football Match By The Result

When an underdog football team wins a match, suddenly a host of new people take interest as overnight fans, and chime in with their congratulations and the whole jingbang of celebration.

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash

Even when the result is a draw, these same converts would be in cloud nine, as well.

Likewise, the media and soccer pundits would have a field day showering their praises and generating sure-to-win streak of anticipation (e.g. 'Just one match away from gold and glory'), while the coach and players are tempted with bragging rights.

Then, the same-old but over-confident team is thrashed in the next game as the iron-fist of reality knocked the coach and players off their flimsy pedestals. Next comes the persecution as the coach is fed to the lions or fired.

The results of a game is either: win, lose or draw (discounting a walkover). Alas, judging a football match by the result is still the most objective yardstick.

What would be helpful is to analyse the result to determine whether your team (coach and players) did their best and not judge by the result per se: 

1. Were the players physically fit and fighting for every ball?

2. Did the players play according to tactical plans and adapt well to counter their opponent's style of play? For example, the opposing team may switched strategy by playing more aggressively (and 'dirty' even) so much so that it ruffles the feathers of your players who end up arguing with the referee instead of playing according to the whistle as self-controlled true professionals who have already pre-empted bad sportsmanship beforehand.

3. Were the players mentally strong, focused and playing with a sense of urgency, or lamenting at every miskicks and lost connection of passes?

4. How creative were the players? Were the strikers creating openings for themselves? Did the midfielders succeed in winning the ball and generating defense-splitting passes or merely making all-too-obvious passes? Did the defenders cut-off the passes to their opposing strikers?

5. What does the match statistics show (e.g. number of shots on goals, percentage of ball possession, number of duels won, etc.)?

6.  Is your team in full strength or bereft of certain key players?

7. Did the coach counter the opponent's actual strategy being played out in the field?

8. Was adequate research done on the opposing team and was your team over-prepared for the challenge? Must-have to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared for every single encounter to stand a fighting chance of winning and this is the least that is expected for the sake of their supporters.

When a team is thoroughly prepared for their clash and give their best on the pitch, they will win the respect and continual support of their fans as well as the backing of their management and upper echelons.

Surprise wins are part of the magic in any sports, but it still takes a team of some substance to stand a chance of pulling it off. Winning is by and large a matter science and not pure psychology.

Daily Refreshing opines that we should be looking out for a team with solid preparation, fighting spirit and fortitude rather than a team that must register a win in every match.

Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.