# Football Psychology · Football Level 7: Upper-Advanced

Football · Level 7: Upper-Advanced · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/football/level-7/football-psychology/)

Football Psychology in Football (Level 7: Upper-Advanced) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: penalty shoot-out research; and more.

What research and experience say about the mind in football: penalties, home advantage, referees, momentum, team talks, mental health, finals, psychologists, leadership and abuse.

## Test 1: Penalty shoot-out research

- Kicks with a chance to win went in far more often than kicks where a miss meant defeat, a sign of how pressure works. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Rushing the kick looks like an escape from the stress, and those quick kicks were less successful. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Wood and Wilson found anxiety pulled takers' gaze to the keeper and their shots towards the middle, where he could reach them. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Stars with many individual awards scored less often, which Jordet linked to the pressure of expectation. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- England's takers turned away from the goalkeeper more than others, and avoidance of this kind went with worse results. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- The taker reads the keeper and places the ball the other way; it needs a calm, slow approach. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Southgate's staff practised the walk, the ball placement and the timing, so the routine felt familiar under pressure. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Each stage is a point where pressure builds; research focuses on how takers behave at every one. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Bar-Eli's goalkeeper study appeared in 2007, Jordet's shoot-out analysis in 2009 and the first-kicker paper in 2010. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))
- Keepers dive because doing something feels better when they concede than standing still; Bar-Eli called it action bias. (Source: Jordet 2009; Bar-Eli et al. 2007; Wood & Wilson 2010 (penalty research))

## Test 2: Home advantage and the empty-stadium seasons

- Most studies found a clear fall; how much varied by league, and researchers still debate the size. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Broadcasters and some grounds used recorded noise so the matches sounded more familiar. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Removing the crowd left the other sources of home advantage in place, which is why it shrank rather than vanished. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Pollard's work shows home sides taking a smaller share of points than in the early decades, though the edge remains. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Their small study found players' testosterone higher before home matches, a possible sign of defending territory. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- When both clubs know the ground and the journey is short, several sources of home advantage cancel out. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Nobody could have designed such a test on purpose: the same leagues, teams and referees, with and without fans. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- Comparing the two periods and correcting for team quality separates the crowd's effect from everything else. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- La Liga returned on 11 June, the Premier League on 17 June and Serie A on 20 June 2020. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- The Bundesliga resumed on 16 May 2020, and its early empty-stadium rounds became the first data on football without fans. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))

## Test 3: Referees and the crowd

- Nevill and colleagues showed crowd noise alone shifted decisions towards the home team. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- Referees gave extra minutes when the home side needed a goal and fewer when it was ahead. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- The effect appears in honest officials: noise and reactions nudge close decisions without any intent. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- The noise that follows an incident gives the referee a cue about how serious it looked. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- Clear-cut decisions leave no room; it is the judgement calls where crowd pressure shows. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- Without the crowd, away teams were booked about as often as home teams, which studies read as evidence of crowd influence on referees. (Source: Home-advantage research (Pollard; Neave & Wolfson 2003; studies of the 2020-21 empty-stadium seasons))
- A referee from a third country removes one obvious source of doubt about his decisions. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- The same tackles judged with and without noise let the researchers isolate the crowd's effect. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- Nevill published in 2002, Sutter and Kocher in 2004, Garicano and colleagues in 2005 and Dohmen in 2008. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)
- Dohmen found referees favoured the home side less in stadiums with an athletics track, where the crowd is further away. (Source: Nevill, Balmer & Williams 2002; Sutter & Kocher 2004; Garicano et al. 2005; Dohmen 2008)

## Test 4: Momentum and the hot hand

- Gilovich, Vallone and Tversky studied shooting records in basketball. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- They found no more hits after hits than chance would give, and called the belief a cognitive illusion. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- They found a statistical bias in the 1985 method; corrected, the data suggest a modest hot hand. The debate continues. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- Across leagues, a two-goal lead is converted into a win in the vast majority of matches. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- Even equally matched teams will show streaks by chance, which the mind reads as momentum or form. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- Past results do not make the next one more likely to go the other way, but people expect the run to balance out. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- Momentum is shorthand for a period of pressure; whether it makes the next goal more likely is disputed. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- Each extra goal of cushion makes the win more likely; a 3-0 half-time lead is almost never lost. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- The last step is the one Miller and Sanjurjo added, and it changed the answer. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)
- The belief is that success breeds success; research long called it an illusion and now finds at most a small effect. (Source: Gilovich, Vallone & Tversky 1985; Miller & Sanjurjo 2018; match data)

## Test 5: Team talks

- Players said it felt like a hairdryer blowing in their face; Ferguson used it sparingly and knew when not to. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- The motivational film, set to music from Gladiator, was shown just before the players left for the stadium. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Tired players with adrenaline still running absorb little; a few clear points get through. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Coaches often wait a couple of minutes so players calm down and take on fluids before the talk. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- A ten-second clip of the gap they keep leaving is clearer than a description of it. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- The huddle pulls attention together at the last moment, usually led by the captain. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- A message from a respected team-mate can carry a weight a coach's words do not. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Recovery comes first, the details second, and the manager's main message last before the players leave. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- The tactical detail usually comes at the hotel, the final message in the dressing room and the huddle just before kick-off. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Players cool quickly in the dressing room, so many teams go back out early to warm up again. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)

## Test 6: Mental health in the professional game

- The Robert Enke Foundation supports research and help for depression and heart disease in sport. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- Football's competitive culture makes players worry that admitting a problem will count against them. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- Heads Up used the whole season, including the FA Cup final, to encourage people to talk about mental health. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- Rose described his depression before the 2018 World Cup, one of the first current England players to do so. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- The players' union runs a round-the-clock line and a counselling network; in an emergency, call the emergency services. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- A life organised around training and matches ends suddenly, often in a player's thirties. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- First aiders are not therapists; their job is to notice, listen and guide people to professional support. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- The first conversation matters most; after it, the club's job is to get the right professional involved quickly. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- A gradual return, as with a physical injury, lets the player and club check he is ready at each step. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)
- FIFPRO's study found symptoms in 38% of current and 35% of former players, and pushed clubs to take mental health seriously. (Source: FIFPRO 2015 study; FA and PFA welfare programmes)

## Test 7: Pressure in finals

- Expectation turns a win into the minimum and a defeat into a failure, which weighs on players. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Vickers' research links a longer, steady final fixation with better accuracy under pressure. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Choking is a drop below a player's normal level caused by the pressure of the moment. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Under pressure players monitor their technique step by step, which disrupts a skill they usually perform without thinking. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Changing everything for a big match signals that it is different; keeping the normal routine keeps it familiar. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Terry's kick hit the post after he slipped in the Moscow rain; Manchester United won the shoot-out. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- With so much at stake, both sides tend to limit risk until the match settles. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Chelsea were one kick from victory; after Terry's miss the shoot-out went to sudden death and Anelka's kick was saved. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- A fixed routine gives the mind a familiar sequence to follow when the pressure rises. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Ronaldo was left off the first team sheet after the fit, then reinstated; Brazil lost the final 3-0 to France. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))

## Test 8: Psychologists at clubs and national teams

- Grange, a psychologist, worked on the culture and mental side of the squad before the 2018 World Cup. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Peters, known for his work with British Cycling, joined Liverpool in 2012 and England's World Cup staff in 2014. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Routines give players a familiar series of steps before free kicks, penalties or throw-ins, which steadies them under pressure. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Players picture a skill in detail, sights, sounds and feel included, to prepare for doing it for real. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Short phrases such as 'stay tall' or 'next ball' direct attention and steady nerves. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- If what a player says could reach selection, he would say less; separation protects the trust the work needs. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Performance work covers focus, confidence and routines; illness is for clinicians, and good clubs have both routes. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Relaxation clears the mind, the scene sets the context, then the actions and a successful outcome are rehearsed. (Source: Coaching and sport-psychology literature)
- Hermann started in 2004, Peters was with England at the 2014 World Cup, and Grange joined the FA in 2017. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Hermann has been part of Germany's staff under Klinsmann, Löw and their successors, including the 2014 World Cup win. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))

## Test 9: Captaincy and leadership

- In many teams the captain was not seen as the best leader in every role; leadership was spread across players. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- Motivational leaders keep energy and belief up on the pitch, separate from the one who organises tactics. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- Leaders who are seen as 'one of us' and champion the group's identity gain influence, whatever their title. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- A player whose standards and effort others copy can lead without speeches. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- Being the most talented does not make someone good at organising or motivating others. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- Kompany lifted the trophy in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019 before leaving to become Anderlecht's player-manager. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- Strong, spread leadership went with a stronger shared belief in the team's ability. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- Asking the players themselves reveals the real leadership network, which the staff can then build on. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)
- The Leicester goal came on 6 May 2019, the title on 12 May, the FA Cup final on 18 May and his farewell the next day. (Source: Match and club reports (BBC Sport, The Athletic, club statements))
- The external leader represents the team to the club, the media and officials, alongside task, motivational and social leaders. (Source: Fransen et al. 2014 (shared leadership in football teams); Haslam et al.)

## Test 10: Abuse from the stands and online

- The abuse after the Wembley shoot-out brought wide condemnation and several prosecutions. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- From 30 April to 3 May 2021, clubs, players and governing bodies stopped posting to press the platforms to act. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- Players or officials report it, and the referee stops play and sets the steps in motion. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- The app lets fans report discriminatory abuse at matches or online, which is passed on to clubs and authorities. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- The case, from a match at Mestalla in May 2023, was described as the first such conviction in Spanish football. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- Football banning orders stop a person attending matches, and can require him to hand in his passport for tournaments abroad. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- Much online abuse comes from accounts that cannot be linked to a person, which slows prosecutions. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- Each step comes only if the abuse continues after the one before. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- Evidence is kept first; the platform and police then work to trace the sender before any prosecution. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)
- The campaign, set up in 1993, became the organisation Kick It Out in 1997. (Source: UEFA anti-racism protocol; Kick It Out; court reports)

Sources: IFAB Laws of the Game / FIFA & UEFA regulations and technical reports / Opta & StatsBomb definitions / coaching literature / peer-reviewed research

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