I always say that football is a mental game as much as it is a technical skills and a physical effort game. We seen the mental focus had big role in many games:
- Brazil had almost had a nervous breakdown vs. Netherlands. I never seen a big team collapse this way in my life. They lost the game mentally before losing it technically.
- German coach, keeper and few players mentioned after losing to Spain, that they lacked courage to attack, and confidence that game. When you watch the game, you can see it. May be it was a reflection of a power difference, or the young age of the team. In either cases, we saw German players as a tigers vs. Argentina, and cats vs. Spain.
- I never forget North Korean player who was crying during the National anthem vs. Brazil. NK played like a game of a lifetime that day.
- I didn't watch the 7-0 game live! I recorded it. I was amazed. The first half was only 1-0. Before the goal, you can claim Korea was the better side. Who watch the first half, would say Korea would lose 1-2. After conceiving the second goal, they collapsed mentally, and got five more easy goals.
- There is something to admire so much on a player like Iniesta, that is his mental focus. His goal vs. Chelsea in the 1-1 famous Champion league 2009 semi-final, and his goal vs. Netherlands had one thing in common: the mental focus and clarity of thinking. Many great stars would miss easy chances at such critical moments.
Well, football always been so much a mental game, but I think this factor is becoming more and more critical in the world of football.
I think the speed and pace of game, the pressure of the opponent, the little time that is left for the player to make a move contributed a lot to this factor.
As Joachim Löw put it in an interview with World Soccer, that the speed is becoming so much important in football, and it is not only the physical speed, but the mental speed as well.
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