James Scott

At two-nil down it was , quite simply, all over. Yet another Manchester United defeat beckoned… But then…miracle of miracles…United came from two goals behind to beat Roma, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice. What a great opportunity to explore an important competitive capability… Responding when you’re two goals behind without allowing the scoreboard to dictate the way you play? I mean, it’s fair to say that going two goals behind can have a significant impact on a player’s intensity. For some, intensity rises sharply. Frustration builds. Urgency becomes desperation. Players rush passes, force shots, chase the ball, and abandon their tactical responsibilities. For others, intensity drops. Energy diminishes. Movement becomes passive. Players hesitate, withdraw, and become reluctant to take responsibility. Neither response is great, right? And this is where the three mental skills I emphasise in my new book, Compete, become critical: attention, intensity, and intent. ATTENTION: Stay connected to the tactical information the game provides. Where is the space? Where is the overload? When should we accelerate play, and when should we recycle possession? The scoreboard matters, but it mustn’t dominate attention at the expense of useful information. INTENSITY: Regulate your energy and urgency. Being two goals behind might demand greater tempo, aggression, and physical commitment. But urgency mustn’t become frantic. Equally, disappointment mustn’t turn into passivity. Find the intensity that best serves the next action. INTENT: Continue to execute with purpose and conviction. Make positive runs. Demand possession. Commit to tackles. Attack space. But positive intent isn’t simply about doing more. It’s about committing fully to the right action at the right moment. There’s some important science here too… Eysenck and colleagues (2007), through Attentional Control Theory, proposed that anxiety can disrupt goal-directed attention, making it harder to resist distractions and increasing the influence of threatening information. In football, going two goals behind can generate anxiety about the result. Attention can shift towards the consequences of losing, previous mistakes, or the urgency of recovering the score. And when attention becomes consumed by these threats, players may find it harder to recognise and respond to the tactical information unfolding around them. Importantly, the research suggests that anxiety can reduce attentional efficiency without necessarily reducing performance effectiveness. So the challenge isn’t to eliminate anxiety, it’s to execute effectively in its presence. Coming from two goals behind isn’t simply about wanting it more, running harder or playing faster. It’s about regulating your intensity, directing your attention, and executing with conviction when the scoreboard is encouraging you to do otherwise.