Brazil’s head coach Luis Felipe Scolari has called in a psychotherapist, Regina Brandão, to help his players ahead of time for their quarterfinal match with Colombia. There is a lot of pressure that comes with being the host of the World Cup, and Scolari knows that:
“We are the hosts,” he said, “so that means that the minimum we have to do — the minimum — is win.”
Brandão does her job by making each player complete a series of questionnaires.
The players are asked to use a sliding scale to rank how affected they think they are by certain events. They rank their reactions on a numerical scale that uses a series of smiley faces to gauge positive reactions, or frowns to do the opposite.
The key, according to Brandão, is in the degree of each player’s reaction, but also in the comparisons that can be made with other players.
With Brazil, Brandão’s breakdown of the players’ emotional state helps Scolari shape his messages to the team
“Brazilian players often have a different perception of the same situations as other players,” Brandão said. “It’s a real cultural question, the way they behave and the way they behave differently than others. They are much more intense than players from other countries, whether it’s for the good or the bad. Managing the emotions is critical for Scolari.”- via The New York Times
We shall see how the psychotherapist has helped Brazil for their match today.