Efficient Technique, Anticipation, and Handling Pressure in Football

This article discusses the importance of efficient technique, anticipation, and handling pressure in football. It explores how these skills contribute to effective gameplay and highlights the role of physical and mental abilities in achieving success on the field.

Running Head: HEALTHCARE-PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Healthcare-Physical Education
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Discussion
Part A
Appearing to have all the time: Stoppage time for 3 minutes when Umtiti suffered contact
injury. It happened about 44 minutes into the match.
Anticipation and fast movement: 68 minutes into the match Mbappe made a goal. He is
indeed well known for his finishing, dribbling and speed and considered to be one of the most
expensive players in the world. It exhibited so even in the finals.
Efficient technique: Antoine Griezmann in the penalty kick 37 minutes into the match. The
players Griezmann and Pogba showed efficiency in passing the balls and finally shooting a
goal in the second half, 58 minutes into the match.
Correct decision making: Antoine Griezmann had intentionally brought in the free kick
which was evident from the facial expression of Marcelo Brozovic by going to ground and it
indeed reaped its reward by scoring the goal.
Ability to handle pressure: Croatia made a goal 29 minutes into the match and then both
teams at one goal each and France was indeed under pressure. Griezmann was very calm and
composed as evident in the match in his penalty kick. It was his fourth goal in the world cup
2018 and three of them had come from penalty shots. He keeps his focus and he is clear about
what is the plan that needs to be executed.
Part B
Anticipation and fast movement
Anticipation is defined as an efficiency to recognise the mannerism of the play and
exploit situational probability to predict an event even before it occurs that decreases the

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reaction time. Anticipation is dependant on prior experience of specific situation and stimuli
(Koltai et al., 2016). The efficiency to predict the direction of the penalty kick in football
prior to the unambiguous ball flight information is available which can be stated as the ball-
foot contact ensures players with vital time to dedicate to both getting to as well as for
preparing for an effective response (Abdullah, Suleman and Ahmed, 2019).
In context to the video of the FIFA world cup 2018, Mbappe scored a goal that indeed
exhibited his anticipation and fast movement. It is to be noted that his skills in this world cup
led him in comparison to Pele by the media. He is versatile and forward player who majorly
plays as a winger, his agility promotes his capability to play in either foot. He exhibits
excellent dribbling ability as well as explosive acceleration and hence sometimes plays in the
centre as the main striker.
Mbappe has focussed intentions in three very important areas to achieve this. The
areas are anticipation, recognition and reaction. Mbappe handles the game tactically and
focuses on the trajectory of the ball even before it is going to be played. His body language
exhibits his brain is active and engaged. He is always on the look to execute an action and his
toes are always alert, active and ready. Mbappe has the habit of scanning the entire field to
gain knowledge on what is going on away from the ball. He always analysed where his
teammates and the opponents are. Hence, it can be inferred observing Mbappe in the FIFA
finals that faster the anticipation and the recognition the better is the decision making
capability of the player and better decision making impacts the efficient tactical execution.
Efficient technique
Technique in football defines the specific style and the power in which a player kicks
the ball with his foot. It mainly exploits the technique of passing, dribbling, stopping the ball
as well as the coordination with the fellow teammates. Body control also plays a vital role to

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ensure efficient technique (Zhang, 2016). Technique is considered as the first crucial factor
and the most important one in football. Efficiency of techniques can only be exhibited when a
player is in sufficient contact with the ball. During a training session a coach should ensure
that a player should contact the ball 8 times in a minute. In a football match the time and
space for players become so less that in these situations efficient techniques become a prior
importance (Abdullah, Suleman and Ahmed, 2019).
In context to the FIFA world cup video Griezmann was involved in a lot of goals in
the finals against Croatia. In the first half, France had been awarded a foul on Griezmann. He
took the 30-yard free kick and gave France the lead in the 18th minute of the match. He scored
another penalty in the 38th minute into the match giving France a score of 2-1. He was the
man of the match and the third best player of the tournament dur to his efficient technique.
He is described as a team player who can occupy offensive positions in as well as behind the
main attacking line due to his technical efficiency and can associate between forwards and
midfielders as well.
Ability to handle pressure
The professionalism of skilled players is exhibited by their ability to keep calm and
cool during the course of the match. But it is to be noted that the players are expected to
perform under immense pressure. The mental aspect of football receives insufficient
attention. It is under pressure that the intensity and the physiological activation of the player
increases that promotes the increase in the heart rate, breathing as well as the other physical
signs (Coulter and Thelwell, 2019). This state can be exploited by skilled players as it allows
them to focus better. But for others it may cause them to tighten up, make bad passes and
miss goal-scoring opportunities. Players who fear the pressure and is afraid of it feels

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negatively of pressure whereas skilled players take advantage of the pressure and embrace the
feelings that come along with pressure (Belkacem and Salih, 2018).
Arousal is the key concern in sports psychology that impacts that physical and the
technical performance of the performer. The arousal is linked to anxiety. Anxiety is
considered as a negative phase of emotion that induces a feeling of worry, apprehension and
nervousness that causes arousal and activation of the nervous system. Excessive tension has a
detrimental to the performance of the player.
In context of the video, Antonio Griezmann can be marked as the skilled player as he
had been in pressure after being fouled. But it should be clearly noted that he was definitely
focussed and had an eye for the goal. He exhibited calm and composed behaviour before
heading for the 30-yard penalty kick.
Conclusion
It can be concluded from this article that efficient technique, anticipation and fast
movement as well as handling pressure efficient plays a vital role to start and execute a
football match effectively. Hence, it can be concluded from this article that physical as well
as mental skills should be effectively exploited to put up a successful game play.

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