...says top psychologist.
Rafa Benitez hasn’t yet lost the mind games that will decide the
title race – but he needs to win back the momentum.
Watching him after the draw at Wigan it was obvious he was
showing exasperation, anger and frustration and it looked as if he
didn’t know how to react.
You have to remember he’s an emotional guy and was disappointed
by the result, particularly when it was another game Liverpool
should have won.
The chemistry was running through his body and he was upset,
angry and emotional and all that had been building up.
But in football, if you perform below par and then show signs of
reacting emotionally to something and aren’t cool and calm you
immediately become a victim of scrutiny from the media and the
fans.
Anyone who suggests Benitez isn’t a top-drawer manager must be
out of their mind, but perhaps he made a big mistake by going after
Alex Ferguson the other week, because that put him in the
spotlight.
Players are pretty sensitive to that kind of behaviour. Look at
what happened when Kevin Keegan got caught up with Fergie in
1996.
It communicated something to the players at Newcastle and at
Manchester United. It said to them that Keegan wasn’t
self-confident any more and his behaviour showed that to the
players.
I don’t think Benitez has gone that far but he showed
exasperation and the players will watch and wonder if they see the
manager doing odd things in the public arena.
Of course we don’t know for certain what he’s like when he’s
with the players and it depends on the culture of the club. Some
players need a kick up the backside while others prefer being
boosted.
But in public he needs to be building them up, not knocking them
down.
What the supporters and players need to see is Benitez being
cool, calm and collected under this pressure, pointing out the
positives – that they’re the only team to lose just one league game
all season, that it’s still in their hands.
At this level, football is a game of psychology. The difference
between the two clubs comes down to the mind games. Rafa isn’t
losing that one yet – but he needs help to make sure he can win
it.