Greatest drug in football

Confidence, perhaps the greatest drug in football.

    When people hear the word doping, their minds usually go to the same place, performance-enhancing drugs like steroids or hormone agents. Maybe the first thing that some now might think is financial doping, which clearly works wonders... cough Manchester City cough. Yet I think there's one that trumps the others because it's not illegal nor material, it has very much got to do with the mind.

    Estonian football has been in a downward spiral for over a decade. Yes, the quality of players hasn't been what it was circa 2012, but I don't think it has been the only factor. The media and people talking about the players and our chances have been "surprisingly" negative. Of course, the results on the pitch haven't helped, but for a country so small and that has endured so much, you would expect more hope.

    Yet it all has miraculously turned around in the last year. Estonia has a record of 5 wins (1 on penalties), 2 draws and a singular loss in the last 8 games. Estonia has gotten a breed of new generation of players, but more importantly the backing of the people again. The media is full of hope before games now, instead of wondering how many are we going to concede. That all has given the players confidence that they are showing in the way that they play. They are running and pressing like I haven't seen for a long time from them.

    Manchester United also experienced a resurgence during the second half of the previous season—one that has since lost its momentum. Thanks to Carrick, United found the stability they desperately needed but didn't have after Erik ten Hag's departure. Instead of bringing in a coach capable of getting the best out of the existing squad mid-season, they opted for a riskier path that ultimately failed to bear fruit aka Amorim. They avoided repeating that mistake the second time around by bringing in Carrick; as a former player, he understood exactly what the club needed at that moment and restored belief among both fans and players.

    True to form, however, the leadership failed to capitalize on this, repeating the error made in 2019 when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was handed a long-term contract before the season had even ended. On both occasions, the club insisted that the new appointment was merely a stopgap and that someone else would be brought in during the summer. Yet, in both instances, they did the exact opposite, and the outcome appears to be heading in the same direction. United has demonstrated that relying solely on a boost in confidence is not enough; long-term planning is essential.

    If you start the game thinking you will lose, you will never succeed, at least not in the long run. You have to believe in what you're doing, otherwise there's no point in doing said thing. But confidence alone will take you so far and it can run out after some time. That's why it's important to build on it and not keep hoping on it. Confidence, like drugs, can keep you happy for a time, but it's not sustainable and playing good purely because of it won't end well if you don't build on it.