The England football manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, believes that modern football matches are not won on the ground, but inside the players' minds. This film examines not just how Eriksson got inside his players' brains, but how he is now starting a revolution in English football thinking.
Eriksson's plan has two critical elements: to eliminate the harmful effects of the fear of failure from the minds of the England players, and to encourage them to train mentally as well as physically to reach the highest levels of performance.
Psychologists from some of Britain's most prestigious universities believe anxiety and the fear of failure can make top professionals perform like amateurs. Medical surveys show that people use different parts of the brain to perform actions which they are learning and those which are instinctive. If the brain goes back to its learning mode, that 89th minute penalty kick goes right over the bar.
Eriksson has another psychological tactic: as he is not there on the field, he relies on “cultural architects”: players whose thinking is so close to their manager's that they obey him without even realising they are doing so. The captain, David Beckham, is clearly one of these "architects."
Sports psychology cannot predict whether England will win the World Cup. However, it does show that England is going into a major competition with an unprecedented degree of psychological preparedness.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are
given for only TRUE or FALSE. (?)
Ericksson´s plans mean a radical, complete change in English football
Ericksson´s ideas are opposed by scientists
A penalty is not converted if the brain is in its learning mode
England did not receive so much psychological training in previous World Cup competitions
Explicación: Para la primera afirmación el párrafo
relevante es:
"This film examines not just how Ericksson got inside his players´ brains, but how he is now starting a revolution in English football thinking" Â
La respuesta es verdadera ya que el texto habla de una revolución en las ideas sobre el fútbol inglés, y toda revolución implica un cambio completo, como afirma la frase de este ejercicio.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"Psychologists from some of Britain´s most prestigious universities believe anxiety and the fear of failure can make top professionals perform like amateurs" Â
Según la afirmación, las ideas de Ericksson se contraponen con aquellas de los cientÃficos, pero el texto asegura que psicólogos británicos comparten la misma teorÃa que Ericksson: que el miedo y la ansiedad son factores que pueden minimizar el rendimiento de un profesional. Por lo tanto sus ideas no se contraponen sino que son compartidas.
Y para la tercera:
"If the brain goes back to its learning mode, that 89th minute penalty kick goes right over the bar"Â Â
según la teorÃa de Ericsson reflejada en el texto, un penalti puede fallarse  (a penalty is not converted) si el cerebro funciona en modo aprendizaje ( opuesto al instintivo).
Y para la cuarta:
"However, it does show that England is going into a major competition with an unprecedented degree of psychological preparedness"Â Â
Según el texto, gracias a las ideas de Ericksson, Inglaterra se lanza a la Copa del Mundo con un grado de preparación psicológica sin precedentes, es decir, en ninguna otra copa del mundo ha recibido tanto entrenamiento psicológico.