Prior to the 2018 World Cup, Jurgen Klopp, the coach of Liverpool FC, suggested that the media could help the England\u2019s men\u2019s football team by reducing the pressure \u201ca notch or two\u201d<\/a>. He told journalists to \u201cmaybe take the numbers 1966 [when England last won the trophy] off your computer keyboards for the summer and let this team write their own history and memories\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Klopp is on to something here. Research conducted by the BBC<\/a> found that the English media is more negative than that of other countries, with 9% of articles deemed critical of particular players, or England\u2019s chances at the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But reducing pressure a notch or two is easier said than done. Football is rife with pressure filled language. It seems as though every other day there are headlines about \u201cmust win\u201d games and \u201cterrible\u201d performances that leave managers and players \u201cdevastated\u201d. But this kind of language is nonsense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no such thing as a must win game. Ex-England manager Roy Hodgson once said<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the phrases I hate is, \u2018This is a must win game\u2019. So, if the opposition are winning 2-0 and there are 10 minutes to go, does it mean I\u2019ve got to get a machine gun out and shoot them?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When you really think about it, there are very few \u201cmusts\u201d in life. People must breathe air, eat, hydrate and sleep. Words like \u201cterrible\u201d and \u201cdevastation\u201d should have no place in sport. They are words more at home in war zones and amid natural disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n On the subject of natural disasters, Rory McIlroy worked with Unicef in Haiti in 2011 in the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010. This experience in Haiti helped McIlroy gain perspective. Years later, the player reflected on the US Open<\/a> and said the memory of seeing \u201cmillions of people have no clean water\u201d put the fact that he had nerves over \u201chitting a golf ball into some water\u201d into perspective. He went on to win his first major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anxiety and depression<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our research<\/a> at the University of Staffordshire is showing that athletes who demand success, who believe that losing is terrible and consider themselves failures when they lose or face setbacks, actually experience emotions that can hinder their performance. More importantly, it can hinder their mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the athletic environment on the mental health of athletes is only just beginning to be understood. But a key factor is how and what athletes think and believe about success, failure, and setbacks. One of our studies found<\/a> that those with rigid and extreme beliefs such as \u201cI am a loser if I do not succeed\u201d are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unchecked, anxiety and depression are typically not conducive to a long and healthy athletic career and have consequences that stretch beyond sport into the athlete\u2019s personal life. So, the language used \u2013 especially around young players \u2013 takes on extra importance given the heightened awareness of mental health issues in elite sport. Just this year there has been a huge rise<\/a> in professional footballers seeking help for mental health and emotional wellbeing issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can choose to be more accepting of athletes when they fail or do not meet our expectations. Just because we demand success, it doesn\u2019t make it more likely to happen. England has demanded World Cup success from its football team for decades now, but that demand has not made lifting the trophy more likely. For some reason, many believe that to motivate players, there needs to be talk about the importance of winning all of the time. Athletes don\u2019t need to be reminded of the importance of winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sven Goran Eriksson reckons it’s not the football press which makes managing England the #impossiblejob<\/a> – it’s the rest of the press! pic.twitter.com\/7FJ8Xni4bZ<\/a><\/p> \u2014 Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n