Agitation through the stands

Among the earliest memories of football for many generations is the first time he went to see his team at the stadium. The company, the stage, the before, during and after the game are several of the phases of a liturgy that many fans fulfilled with devotion every weekend.. Something that Nick Hornby perfectly describes in his book Fever in the stands. But all that ceremony was truncated with the COVID pandemic. To save the football industry, the fan had to be sacrificed to create a bubble. But Now, with the accelerated vaccination rate and the drop in the cumulative incidence of positives, fans are slowly repopulating the fields. Of course, complying with an iron protocol drawn up by LaLiga (nominal training, temperature shots, entry times, rules for the location of the fan …).

The clubs had to use their psychologists so that the footballers could adapt to the silence of the stands. And now they turn to them again so that the transition on their return does not affect them negatively. “There are players who have a low activation profile and the presence of the public increases it, affecting you in a positive way. But there are others who surpass him, suffer an overactivation leading him to rush, have fear and pressure or even paralyze. Which would leave them with a muscular pressure that leads to not having a fluid game “, Juan Miguel Bernat points out, Levante psychologist.

Not having the support of the fans has led to the percentage of local victories falling compared to the figures prior to the pandemic. If with the public, 48% of the victories were local and 24% of the visitors; This season, the 36 games that have been played behind closed doors have resulted in a 41% victory for the hosts (7% less) and 29% for those who played at home (5% more). Last weekend, the first with an audience, of the five games with reduced capacity, four resulted in a local victory.

Bernat, who assures that 90% of the Granota squad attend individual appointments, points out that the public affects two psychological aspects: “Activation (energy with which one enters the field) and confidence. Work since the season Last was for players to activate without the public, now we focus on the opposite. The presence of the public can generate an excess of activation, exceeding the optimal level of activation (NOA). The good thing is that you work on the same variable, your breathing rate, muscle tension and heart rate. There are over-activated players who drown after two races. Also confidence influences. If you see yourself with the capacity to face the challenge, with an audience you grow; but if you have doubts it can harm you and be afraid of error“.

“Anger has high arousal and sadness low. The main tool is thought control, non-verbal communication and arousal, which can be controlled with breathing. If we control our breathing, we will control the emotional situation, “adds Bernat. For this reason, in the Levante they have tied everything that affects the mind: “We spoke with the department that controls the lights and the music in the stadium. When they went out to the field we played an Audiomachine song. The weather helps the players “.

Mental preparation for the title fight and salvation

The psychological part is so important that even Simeone resorted to it in Atlético's comeback against Osasuna last day. “Do not lose your head. We are going to be strong in the head,” shouted the technician. The rojiblancos managed to turn the scoreboard and add three vital points for the title fight.

Bernat gives the keys to the players who fight on the last day for the title or relegation: “What takes you to the future or anticipates what will happen is not good. You have to focus on the field to avoid panic. For that I extrapolate the technique of the English army in kidnapping maneuvers. If they think they are going to be tortured or killed they panicThat is why they ask them to think about how many people there are, who is the boss, count turns to the right and left when they are being transferred by car …It can be extrapolated to football, you fill yourself with all the stimuli of the field and avoid thinking about what will happen if you fail the next one or if you are going to win or lose the title, relegate … “.