- The Observer,
- Sunday June 9 2002
Dr Willi Railo told last night how he and Sven-Göran Eriksson, the manager, had helped inspire key players before the historic 1-0 triumph by telling them they could win the match and then the World Cup itself.
Railo, one of Eriksson's assistants, held hastily arranged personal counselling sessions by telephone from his home in Oslo with several England stars after the team's dismal 1-1 draw with Sweden in their opening game last weekend, which left the players dejected.
'I spoke to some [England] players before the Argentina game about self-confidence and self-belief and the need to dare to lose a match in order to win it,' said Railo.
The conversations helped to convince the players, believed to include Beckham, the captain, that they could beat their old enemies and they passed on that positive message to their teammates.
Railo cited Beckham as the most obvious beneficiary of the calm, positive mentality that he has helped to instill. 'Beckham has changed. He has become much more self-confident. He has taken the leader role. His mindset and personality are transmitted to the other players on the pitch,' said the psychologist.
The pep talks gave England a vital psychological edge before kick-off. They dominated a match in which they could have scored more goals than Beckham's 44th-minute penalty, a result that should help ensure their passage into the tournament's second round.
'Mentally they seemed strong and they should be even stronger now they have beaten Argentina. They have a team spirit that can help them further,' explained Railo. 'How much further? Have no doubt about it. I would say they are good enough to do everything now, good enough to win the tournament. They have the talent and ability and just need some luck.'
Railo and Eriksson, who have worked together for 20 years, reminded players despondent after the Sweden match of their abilities so they would develop the attitude of players who expect to win big games and behave accordingly, as they did in the Sapporo Dome on Friday.
In his counselling sessions last week, Railo told the players that they had to be prepared to lose if they were going to triumph. 'Winners hate to lose,' said Railo. 'But winners aren't afraid of losing. And winners dare to win. That's what England did against Argentina. They showed great mental strength.'
The Norwegian believes England's renewed confidence could be enough to steer them to victory in the tournament.
'When I'm working with [England] players, it's to mentally strengthen them to be more confident, to realise their full potential, to help them believe they they can win the World Cup, to take away mental blockings and teach them to be able to win under stress,' said Railo. 'They are mentally strong enough to win this. They are good enough to beat the best [teams] in the world, including France if they play them next. There's no better team in the world than England at the moment, and they can win the final if they have some luck on their side.'
Railo is one of the world's most eminent sports psychologists and has a long record of helping athletes produce their best by fine-tuning their mental approach. Over the years he has worked with Swedish tennis stars Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander, Olympic distance runners Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen and, more recently, several Manchester United players.
He encourages his clients to set themselves 'barrier-breaking goals' and then realise them by daring to do everything possible in pursuit of victory, even if that involves losing. 'For David Beckham and England, that barrier-breaking goal would be to win the World Cup.'
Eriksson has helped calm the squad and encouraged their World Cup dreams. 'Sven-Göran helps them to be secure in very stressful situations, like being at the World Cup now, because he's calm and strong,' added Railo. 'He has transferred his feelings and his courage to some significant players in the team so they can transmit this to the other players.'
Eriksson and Railo call these players the side's 'cultural architects' because their attitude on the pitch defines their teammates' attitude. Beckham again played a barnstorming captain's role in the Argentina victory.
Eriksson also spoke about the positive effects that had flowed through his team following Friday's match. 'To beat Argentina is very good for the soul. The players were very calm before the game. They believed they could win and they did. I always believe. I am very positive. I think we are prepared.'
* England's win drew an official television audience of more than 17 million viewers, it was revealed yesterday. A total of 13.3 million viewers tuned in to watch live coverage on the BBC, with 4.3 million watching on ITV1 when the game was shown 'as live' at 8pm.
But the actual number who cheered England to victory was much higher as figures for the millions who caught the action on big screens and in pubs, clubs and offices were not available.
