Spending power and tactical acumen are considerable forces in elevating a good team to become a great one but psychology is as much, if not, more important a crucial commodity to a successful team.
The presence of a sports psychologist is now commonplace in all top organisations, not just in football, and serious resources are poured into understanding and directing a player’s mental state.
In 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement from football management only to renege on the decision just seven months later as his team had fallen to ninth in the table.
Although the league was lost, United responded by winning 13 of their last 15 matches and missed out on a place in the Champions League final by the small matter of away goals.
It has become widely accepted that United’s squad, despite containing some of the world’s best players simply switched off. If the manager wasn’t going to be there next season, then what was the point? Uncertainty created doubt, and that turned to apathy within the dressing room.
A similar-ish situation is being allowed to develop at Manchester City and heading into the new Premier League season it’s difficult, barring a Premier League and Champions League double, to see Manuel Pellegrini staying on as manager beyond the summer.
Pellegrini’s side fell well short of expectations last term and while it wasn’t all necessarily the manager’s fault, contemporaries at other clubs have lost their jobs for a lot less.
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As it stands, Pep Guardiola will be in the dugout of the Etihad Stadium next summer.
Raheem Sterling was even reportedly tempted to Manchester with the knowledge he’d soon be working with the Catalan.
With that in mind, just how will City’s players, who will be more than aware of the situation at the club, respond? Especially those on the wrong side of 30 who may not even be there the following season.
Pellegrini is a hugely respected and likeable man but motivating a team knowing they won’t be playing under him within a year will be a difficult task, especially in a league boasting a number of potential champions.
It’s unclear how much this has motivated City’s transfer business this summer but the squad doesn’t look a whole lot different to the one that finished the last campaign, despite the obvious deficiencies.
Sterling has arrived to add pace, width and Englishness, alongside Fabian Delph and young Patrick Roberts, but the same old problems of last season look like occurring again, especially if Sergio Aguero can’t stay fit.
A top-four place should be assured, and you have to imagine that is Pellegrini’s sole goal, but an ageing side simply hasn’t had the necessary injection of fresh blood to look like it can compete with Chelsea, Arsenal or even Manchester United for the title. The latter two are beginning to bring together two fine groups of players.
There remains three weeks of the transfer window left to add reinforcements but the growing suspicion is that money is being held back for Guardiola to then launch some full-scale surgery. After all, what’s the point in making a raft of signings now if the new man will follow suit in 12 months’ time?
Pellegrini has quite the job on his hands convincing his players his is a long-term project worth investing in.
