KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum 'Pressure of top-four target too much for Liverpool' ?

'Pressure of top-four target too much for Liverpool' says club's psychiatrist Steve Peters

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footb...rs-8554167.html

Does this sound right to you?
It doesn't sound like he's inculcating a winning mentality to me...

More excuses and management of expectations.

This guy isn't telling our players to be the best they can, rather, he's telling them to realise that there is only so much that they are capable of.

Convince yourself that you're not good enough and you never will be....

I wondered if I was being too harsh, but that's pretty much what it sounded like to me.

Read again then, because to me it sounds like he wants our players to focus on what they can control - i.e. their own performances.

What league position we end up at is only partly linked to the LFC player's performance, because it also depends on the other teams' performances.

Sounds good to me.....imagine if every player looked after only their job and played to their best without worrying about the rest or the media or the crowd etc etc......I def think it would add to our overall performance

Setting realistics targets are fine, it does not means youll finish there, just means its realistic. So many time this year players come out and the manager and hype about top 4. We often lose game after etc. A winning mentality is different to realistic targets. I think its safe to say were not a top 4 team atm, yet we keep saying well finsh there.

Has noboday realised we are always the ones chasing not having top 4. Not saying we wont finsh there but we not there atm. Somtimes teams play better than they are. Right now we have an average sqaud. We are in decline. 6th then 7th then 8th shows that.

It doesn't make good reading that. The wages those players are getting is top 4 money when I'm in work I get paid good money and I can tell you what I would be told if I told them the pressure was too much for me! Pack up and get out

I understand him to be saying that the focus should be on performance and performing, rather than focussing on outcomes and I'd agree with that approach. Focussing on outcomes takes the mind off performing and is therefore a distraction for the players and manager. If you get the performance and performers right, the outcomes will flow from how that.

Exactly!

I think the players in the team want to finish in the top 4 to play in the champions league. A player like Suarez cannot have a lower objective and they are putting that kind of pressure on themselves, most signed to be able to play in the champions league and the day Suarez for example feels that this is too difficult as a target, he will just leave. If next year we do not finish in the top 4, I think BR will be sacked and probably FSG will just try to recoup their investment and run. Sports psycologists are there to find the best way to make them believe, because if they don't they will never get there. In my opinion, we have a top 5 squad so should be able to compete for champions league position.