PSYCHOLOGY: THE BURDEN OF EXPECTATION
Mike Holden

The World Cup provides a level playing field in so many ways and this series has, amongst other things, attempted to highlight factors that can give certain nations an edge over their rivals in terms of unity, preparation and tactics.

But one thing coaches and players can do little about is the psychological burden of expectation resting on the shoulders of a team as a result of pressure created by millions of people eagerly anticipating the action on television back in their homeland.

Likewise, some nations can occasionally exceed all expectation simply because moments of individual brilliance are born out of a mindset where players have nothing to lose and everything to gain, especially in terms of future prosperity.

In this respect, the World Cup is anything but a level playing field because while spiritualists and sports psychologists can be called upon for their ability to reduce the impact of pressure in certain circumstances, the circumstances themselves cannot be altered and will still remain in the consciousness albeit to a lesser degree.

The easy conclusion to jump to is that the biggest nations from Europe and South America generally perform under the greatest pressure and the smaller unfashionable countries from less heralded footballing continents are free to give everything they've got in the hope of making a name for themselves.

However, this is not necessarily the case and, indeed, the opposite is often the truth when fear in its purest form becomes the major psychological barrier in a head-to-head battle between two countries.

Look no further than Brazil for the perfect illustration of a nation that strikes unadulterated fear into the minds of opponents. Just the very mention of their name can conjure up images of being humiliated by a nutmeg or a marvellous piece of trickery in front of a billion viewers worldwide.

By rights, Brazil should be the nation under greatest pressure at this summer's finals because they are the defending champions and now possess a team that is generally considered to be better than the one that lifted the trophy in Yokohama four years ago.

But while I think it's no coincidence that Brazil have historically failed to deliver the goods when it's most expected, it can also be said that the pressure of satisfying 200million people back home is diluted somewhat by the fear those yellow jerseys instil in the vast majority of opponents.

If nothing else, such fear is a tribute to the swagger with which Brazilian teams perform even when things aren't going according to plan. They never seem to resort to desperate measures in order to get a result from a game in which they are trailing.

Similar respect is sometimes demanded by other previous world champions - but to nothing like the same degree. The damp squib of England's second half display against ten-man Brazil in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup offers ample evidence of the difference in stature.

The pressure on England to land a first major trophy since 1966 has always been intense but it will be even more so in Germany with this tournament having been pencilled in for many years as the moment when the biggest names in an exciting era should be at the peak of their powers.

It should also be acknowledged that England teams must operate against the unique backdrop of the British tabloid media. We need only recall the awful treatment of David Beckham following his act of petulance against Argentina at France 98 to appreciate the heavy price that awaits failure when returning to this country and it's an added cause for anxiety amongst the players that is unrivalled almost anywhere else in the world.

The level of expectation surrounding the Three Lions has mellowed somewhat during the concern over Wayne Rooney's metatarsal injury and a few weeks respite from the hyperbole can only be a good thing for England's chances, even if the excitement is only going to reach fever pitch in the next fortnight should positive news emerge from the results of Rooney's latest scan.

For both England and Brazil, the scenario is nothing unusual. This is the predicament they usually find themselves in ahead of any World Cup but there are other nations coming into this tournament in a completely different frame of mind to four years ago who could thrive on reduced pressure.

In this instance, France provides the finest case in point. They went to Japan and Korea as defending champions and firm favourites to retain their crown but buckled under the pressure, failing to score a single goal as they crashed out at the first hurdle finishing bottom of the group behind Denmark, Senegal and Uruguay.

Four years on, it's astonishing to see a side containing the likes of Zidane, Henry, Trezeguet, Vieira and Makalele being written off so readily because of a poor qualifying campaign but the startling truth is that even across the Channel, you'd have to look far and wide to find a Frenchman who genuinely believes that La Marseillaise will be belted out in Berlin on July 9.

Therefore, the French have the ideal psychological platform from which to capitalise. They can be relaxed, yet fired up by a determination to prove the doubters wrong and they can have a big say across the border in Germany if those star names perform at their best.

Poland is another nation that may benefit from a lesser burden of expectation this time around. They were the first nation to qualify for the finals in Japan/Korea and were widely tipped to ruffle feathers once they arrived in the Far East.

However, they were eliminated in their second game on the back of comprehensive defeats to South Korea and Portugal, but the way in which they dispatched the USA in their final game, once the pressure was off, suggested that they'd possibly been their own worst enemy with those opening two performances.

Ukraine is the nation in danger of emulating the Polish class of 2002 at this World Cup. They, too, were the first nation to qualify this time around and from a particularly tough group to boot.

Indeed, there's little doubt that facing Greece, Denmark and Turkey over six games and coming out on top is a tougher assignment than finishing in the top half of a group containing Spain, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia over three games but the wave of optimism that has understandably swept the former Soviet republic could serve as an unfair millstone around the necks of Shevchenko & Co for two major reasons.

Firstly, the Ukraine has absolutely no major tournament experience and shouldn't necessarily be expected to get their preparation spot-on first time around. Secondly, they qualified on the back of a phenomenal burst of form that wasn't in keeping with the general standard of results they would expect to produce and they shouldn't now be expected to return to that kind of momentum as if it was a commodity that comes from a tap.

The same can also be said for Serbia & Montenegro who qualified in a way that exceeded all expectations.

It's one thing keeping nine clean sheets in ten games against San Marino, Bosnia, Lithuania, Belgium and an unsettled Spanish side over the space of 18 months but quite another to repeat a similar feat in the space of 10 days against Holland, Argentina and the Ivory Coast.

Positives: Brazil, France, Poland

Negatives: England, Ukraine, Serbia & Montenegro

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