One of the most interesting tendencies of the world championships is that almost every time there is an African team, which becomes the opening of the tournament. Partly this is due to the fact that Africa is still inaccessible to us, both in the broad sense of the word and in football: we see European football daily, we even know about South American stereotypes, and more and more North American and Asian in our lives. And only Africa remains outside our field of vision - that's why any bright performance of the national team from this continent becomes a sensation. Nigeria-1994, almost landing in the playoffs to Italy, Senegal-2002, deciding the then existing world champions, Ghana-2010 and Algeria-2014 - all these teams left a big mark on the tournaments, where they shot. This time there is a chance for the team of Egypt.Mohammed Salah .
First, each of the listed African discovery teams stood out for their talents. They are not very cool with discipline, their goals in the team are often inexplicable (remember the famous video, where the gan defender John Boy kisses the bonus money, because of which the team almost boycotted the 2014 World Cup?)) And only a vivid and unusual game and a lack of instinct tournament self-preservation allowed them to seek sensationalism. Egypt is not like that. Having a sufficient number of talented and inpidually strong players, the rivals of the Russian national team made their psychology and mentality their main advantage. They got the right coach: Argentinean Ector always able to cope with impudence and ambition, turning these human qualities to the benefit of his teams.
Egyptian psychology should be discussed in more detail. To begin with: this team has a strong mental foundation. There are only a few countries in the world where a football match can lead to a natural revolution or a national catastrophe, and Egypt is one of those countries, so players are permanently ready for monstrous external pressure. On this existing psychological core it was necessary to throw discipline and self-confidence than Cooper did.
The Argentine coach is sure that the discipline allows the team to play successfully and in most matches to realize his game plan: "It is often difficult to convince a player of something - everyone has their own characteristics. But here now the ability to hear and modesty prevails. Even Salah. Well, yes, he scores more than most, but this does not absolve him from working on par with the rest. He does not have special privileges. Perhaps, it will seem to you an insignificant detail, but for me it is very important. "
Having developed team discipline, Cooper set to work on confidence. For example, for each gathering he invites more players than usual, which gives them two clear signals: a) the competition for the place in the composition is great; b) if you are on the final list, you must justify this trust and put it even harder. In addition, the Argentine coach is not afraid to win back the theme "now or never". In the locker room before the qualifying match against Uganda, he said bluntly: "Some of you may not play in the selection for WC-2022. You have to concentrate on this moment to achieve your dream, which is now very close. You all deserve to play at this World Championship. " Salah scored in the fifth minute.
Finally, Cooper has the ability to clearly and sharply formulate tasks. In the spring, the coach of the Egyptian national team created a chat in WhatsApp, where he added his entire headquarters and all the players of the team. The name for the chat Argentinian chose the accessible and inspiring: "Quarterfinal World Cup". So the goal was formed, not a dream. Cooper refuses to recognize anything as impossible, and this also affects the mentality of the national team. "In the store a man approached me and said:" We can win the World Cup! ". Of course, there is no law that we can not do this, so we will try. In any case, our task will not be easy, "- says the coach.
Successfully working on the psychology of his team, Cooper has made progress in the game. As at the beginning of the zero, when he was so tragically steep, the key importance for him is defensive efficiency. Mental stability of the national team has developed in the players concentration, and this is the second reason to consider Egypt a possible opening of the World Cup. "At the World Championships, any tiny mistake can cost us games, so we aim to reduce the number of errors to an absolute minimum," the trainer declares. That's why Cooper disappointedly shrugs after the second goal of the Belgian national team: it's not the fact of the missed ball that matters to him (it's still friendly matches), but the fact that the moment happened after the stupid transfer of vice-captain Ahmed Fathi. Rare for the Egyptians the moment of secession - and immediately missed the ball. In order to achieve the goal of the Vsesapov,
The third reason to consider Egypt as a possible opening of the World Cup is the calendar itself. None of the opponents looks invincible for this team - Cooper specifically planned a friendly games calendar so that to work out any scenario matches in the group. The results for him were secondary, and it is understandable at least from his press conference after the game with Belgium. The Egyptians have not scored once, but Cooper was pleased with the actions of the attackers: it was important to see that they are able to provide pressure against the strongest opponent. And they did it.
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