What’s really stopping our players from winning? Experts’ opinions

Fragmentary motivation – this is the reason Alexey Smertin voiced in his high-profile statement, trying to explain the players’ psychology and answer questions about the team’s poor performance. What did he mean? In short, Smertin believes that Russian players are capable of producing high results only over short distances. Playing time in soccer is too long and the motivation of the coach, charging for success, is not enough for this period. Whether it is really so, we suggest to understand the topic together with sports psychologists and a doctor.

Mental peculiarities of Russian players

The quality of play and high results of the national team are influenced by mental peculiarities and generational conflict – says Evgeny Fomin, sports psychologist of the CSKA soccer club. He points out that in Russia there are still old authoritarian attitudes, which do not allow players to open up. Often players are afraid to make a mistake, do not take risks. Hence the very average performance in games.

Candidate of Medical Sciences, sports psychologist of CSKA FC

“There is a rational grain in the statement of former Russian national team midfielder Alexei Smertin. Indeed, motivation for short periods of time can work better and stronger. It’s hard to keep players equally energized to win during periods of being on the field for five to seven minutes in hockey or 45 minutes in soccer.

But if we take examples from other sports, such as biathlon, where the country is performing well despite the length of the course, a number of questions arise. And maybe the time on the pitch doesn’t affect motivation as much. I would single out other factors that influence the performance of Russian athletes”.

One of them is the high popularity of soccer on the world stage. It is played in more than 200 countries. Accordingly, the competition increases and the bar for players’ performance is raised. Soccer players are also constantly under the scrutiny of the media and fans. The public literally follows every step of the players. Such a load of responsibility puts a lot of pressure on athletes. They are afraid to make a mistake and get into an awkward situation. And sport, like any other area of life, in modern realities requires breakthroughs and non-standard solutions.

Ruslan Litvinov and Anton Zinkovskiy

Footballer, being under constant pressure, it is difficult to take risks, to build unconventional game combinations, because the fear of defeat is lodged inside. Footballers of the Russian national team is easier to play according to the usual schemes, rather than to show themselves in spite of the established system. However, such settings give stability in the results, but do not give a bright rise.

The lives of players from other countries are also actively watched by paparazzi and fans, they are also within the framework of tough competition, but the results of some teams are much higher. Why? Quite reasonable questions arise. Here it is worth delving into psychology and mental attitudes.

The mentality of different nations is organized differently. This is undeniable. However, more and more countries are coming to the conclusion that players should be given more freedom and should not be pressured for blunders. A tolerant and trusting attitude helps players to be creative and take risks without fear of losing everything. This scheme gives them the opportunity to be more relaxed on the field and get less injuries. As a result, motivation and the desire to prove themselves increases.

Fyodor Smolov

In Russia today there is a situation when coaches of the old formation cannot fully communicate with young players. They are not always ready to feel at what point you need to calm, support, and when to push and insist. A kind of generational conflict has formed. Rigid authoritarian methodology, characteristic of the Soviet period, is outdated and does not work as the main motivator for victories. Young players want to communicate with the coach as equals and be heard.

It seems to me that an in-house psychologist can influence the situation and resolve conflicts. A specialist is able to smooth out sharp corners, give recommendations on motivation and the internal state of the players, and establish communication in the team. But most coaches of Russian clubs believe that this is not necessary, that they themselves are able to create a favorable climate in the team.

Every European club has psychologists, but here it is a rarity, even in top clubs. I would very much like to see the trend to work out their own problems reach us.

Fan support

The Russian national team’s performance is primarily influenced by fan support. Sports psychologist Felix Shifrin is sure of that. It is the belief in the victory of the majority that can energize and bring the national team to the top. Then everything will be fine with motivation.

sports psychologist and coach, specialist in the field of mental development in sports

“Regarding the influence of fragmented motivation, we can agree with Alexei Smertin. However, I would not single it out as the main cause. Let’s deal with it sequentially.”

If we imagine optimal motivation as a manifestation of confidence, concentration and composure on the field, then the distance of a soccer match is really too long. During this time, the positive coaching instructions given before the game are eroded due to negative mental patterns and lack of confidence in one’s abilities. This, of course, leads to a loss of focus and self-control.

Artyom Dzyuba

However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Fragmented motivation is more of a consequence of another important reason. It’s about the fans’ lack of faith in the team. It is the criticism coming from their own side that exerts moral pressure, which is difficult to overcome during a long match.

Answering the question about the reasons for the failure of Russian soccer players in the context of sports psychology, it is worth mentioning the image of “I”, the individual’s view of himself. And it is not in high positions, unfortunately. This phenomenon has a significant impact on the performance of athletes and the team as a whole.

If we take our hockey players, they are much more confident in themselves, because they know that they are strong on the world stage. This is a positive motivating factor and helps to maintain a high level of play. The confidence of each player, the feeling that “he is okay”, helps the hockey player to better cope with pressure and stress during games.

In soccer, on the other hand, we have a different mentality. The image of a country that is inferior to other teams is lodged in our heads. This negatively affects the motivation and confidence of players. A negative image of the self often leads to a loss of self-control and fear of failure.

Igor Akinfeev

This mentality is also a psychological effect of mass culture. The mental patterns and expectations that society creates affect athletes. If the environment perceives a certain sport as the “strong” or “weak” side of the country, it will influence the internal motivation of the players.

How did this image of “self” develop? Why are we historically strong in hockey but not in soccer? Historical and cultural traditions as well as climatic peculiarities have played their role. It should also be noted that soccer has a longer history than hockey, and therefore the competition among countries is much higher. A positive result is more difficult to achieve.

Hockey in Russia has a rich history and traditions. This sport is very popular in the country. We are one of the leading hockey powers, which is reflected in the successful performances of the national team and, as a consequence, affects the very collective image of “I”.

Alexey Sutormin

In soccer we had a chance to change our self-image. For example, after Euro 2008 until the match in Maribor in the fall of 2009, Russia quite perceived itself as a top team. Our successes are largely due to the fact that once we managed to achieve a big win, which we then managed to confirm. This is how the psychology of a winner is formed.

A positive and confident self-image will always be a driver of success, while a negative perception is more likely to be a barrier to achieving outstanding results. This is the watershed between the psychology of a winner and the psychology of a loser.

Lack of quality sports schools

Meanwhile, Mikhail Vartapetov, the sports doctor of the Russian national soccer team, believes that the reasons for the team’s poor results on the world stage are not problems with motivation and mental differences between generations, but the lack of a large number of children’s schools. He is sure that the country lacks quality training of future footballers. The emergence of a sufficient number of young involved coaches with high salaries will change the situation and bring the national team to a new level.

Russian national soccer team doctor, member of the RFU medical committee

“Fragmentary motivation is a term that cannot be found in serious scientific literature on sports psychology. However, its essence can be deciphered as “I want to play, I want not to play, I want to train, I want not to train”.

In fact, the new generation of Russian soccer players suffer from this syndrome less and less often. However, experts note a decline in the skill level of our players, and you can’t argue with that. In my opinion, the roots of this problem are deeper. It’s not just about a lack of motivation.”

“According to my observations, low motivation in young players in some cases is noted after signing the first good contract. People get dizzy from the salary figures that suddenly come down on their heads and affect their unformed psyche.

In all other cases, the reasons for the decline in the level of our soccer should be looked for in children’s and youth soccer. It is there that serious reforms are needed, there is a catastrophic lack of qualified coaches and selectors-scouts with decent salaries. And the results of their work should be evaluated not by the prize-winning places in various children’s tournaments, but by the number of pupils who played at a high professional level. Soccer remains the most popular sport in our country, but quality academies can be counted on the fingers”.