Pressure versus Professionalism

By Zain Alvi | 11th March 2009

Pressure versus Professionalism | read this item

lehmann-bench European footballers are often considered heroes by many across the world. In retrospect, there are those who consider it a travesty to praise these footballers to such heights, as more often than not they fail to lead by example.

In short, an increasing number of individuals in the latter category believe that the pressure of an intense football game gets the better of the professionalism that must always be present for athletes of such a high order.

I find myself torn between the two categories for the basic reason that in some incidents, I am biased, while in others I just struggle to make up my mind. I am sure I am not the only one with a conflicted take on the issue.

In fact I can find a series of instances where people would argue over whether or not pressure got the better of a professional footballer. There will never be enough time to address each and every one of these incidents so this article will revolve around select high-profile situations in recent memory.

It was a fine summer evening in Paris as underdog finalists Arsenal were battling a Barcelona side considered by many as the best team in Europe at that moment. It was a historic Champions League run for a young Gunners squad inspired by the brilliant displays of in-form veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

However, a split-second changed it all. As Samuel Eto’o strolled forward for the dominant Catalans in the 13th minute, Lehmann responded under pressure by performing a sliding tackle on the Cameroon international right outside the box. The referee sent off the German and from that incident onwards, Jens never regained his confidence and ultimately went on to lose the support of many Arsenal supporters, too.

He had been a top professional who led Arsenal to a unique invincible season while also shutting down Juan Roman Riquelme’s penalty to prevent Villarreal from progressing at Arsenal’s expense in the semi-finals of that very season in the Champions League. In one moment though, Lehmann’s immense contributions were all forgotten while his failure to respond to a single pressure-filled situation remains highlighted till date.

Juliano Belletti, who had been Barcelona’s match-winner on that night, almost became the villain against Juventus last night as his blatant hand ball cost his Chelsea side a crucial penalty. If Lehmann’s professionalism was defeated by pressure, then Belletti should never be forgiven for a hand ball that is perhaps the most deliberate I have ever seen.

Where was Belletti’s professionalism when he was under pressure from the loud Bianconeri fans at the Delle Alpi? Or should I say that he was lucky to be on the winning side yet again?

These are merely examples of situations where a professional footballer is accused of under-performing as a result of overwhelming pressure. When it comes to conduct aside from playing, Belletti’s teammates were even bigger letdowns last night. I have always jumped to Chelsea’s defense when they surround referees because despite being an Arsenal fan, I have the objectivity to see that they usually have a point.

Tonight, the case was very different. While Chelsea may have been justified to snap when the officials shockingly sent-off Frank Lampard for a foul against him at Anfield in a title decider of sorts, their protests were unacceptable tonight. They may have been denied a first goal via a Didier Drogba free-kick, but what about realizing that it was never a hand ball that actually led to the free-kick in question.

Besides, why was John Terry aggressively shoving Olof Mellberg when his own teammate (Belletti) was the one responsible for conceding the most fool-hardy of penalties? Some of you will support me here, but I am sure some Blues fans will have a different take on the incident.

To conclude, there will always be instances where a question mark will be raised against a footballer’s professionalism under pressure. Some will support the player in question, while others will try their best to demoralize him. The downside is that there will never be a consensus of agreement on this issue. The positive, however, is that we can enjoy this argument indefinitely!

Agree? Disagree? Have your say in the comments section below!