Michael Esau

A lover of life, family and football! Welshman living up north! Proud Employee of SAP, co-host of The Human Factor podcast. All views expressed are my own.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@MikeBfpo @WorldRugby Can I also add the use of video referee?? There was a moment in the game tonight where it got silly with so many checks. Also - cancelling a try after the conversion has been kicked - that is ridiculous and microscopic.#hatevar

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@fulltimeopinion Agree - the Spanish angle could have been much more edgier especially as it was the domino that kicked everything else off. I think series 3 has a good platform to start from now.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@mrbsure I agree with you. The cut and thrust is not there. Speed, pace and power. Players now are designed for a slower more methodical game, full of sharp movements, not endurance. It’s nowhere near as good.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

The insights that @DanAbrahams77 is sharing with us all is fabulous. Take a read below….

[Daniel Abrahams @DanAbrahams77]

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.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@PhilRichards82 Always had it - but you are spot on about the belief, confidence and belonging. It makes such a difference. I remember him breaking through in Monk’s team. Always v good technically.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@AndyMk_83 Huge potential. Suffering like others. He knows that he has to save that. Awful pen.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@AtTheRaces @MCYeeehaaa I love Aidan. Humble, credits everyone else. Also appreciate how candidly he speaks with respect with @MCYeeehaaa - great interviews all weekend.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@brucemillington With you Bruce - the pace of the game is such that you can commit to a tackle and a player cuts across - makes contact. It is a contact sport. It’s yellow, ref saw it - no need for VAR. Ruined game.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@SleepyInSA2 Now we will get an overreaction the other way!! No balance or half measures!!!

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@kris1179 Thank you as always for sharing your thoughts kind sir. Hope you are doing well.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@KaveenMufc @fansvfavourites Totally agree. To banish 2 x faithfuls at the end when they clearly had found traitors was awful. Disliked that series so much.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@SueBeee47 He was awesome - his storytelling was off the chart. When he got them to visualise the turret, he disarmed Maya completely at the end. What presence he has - great player who clearly loves and respects the game.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@irh0108 It was a brilliant roundtable and much needed, I think Kenny has a big chance. He will need to kill Maya who cannot survive now. Kenny can then put heat in someone else. From our viewing Alan Carr should have been banished at the end last year but doubt crept in for Nick.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@johnaokane74 Agree John - but Fergie operated from a position of strength, not a ship taking on water.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@WeAreTheOverlap He speaks well. The old school players were not bluffers. Their era were 90 min players. They can see through the noise.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@WalesRugby That headline text is a disgrace. Take it down.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

Wow - good on her.

[News to Remember @allchronology]

I believe this will be considered one of the most important videos in US history from this time.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@MarkRees2176 @SwansOfficial It’s the EFL Championship. Full of ups, downs, form dips, form surges, shock results. We have done so well to avoid it so far. We need to get some perspective - I would have bitten many a hand off to get this start. Enjoy the ride - who knows what will happen.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@stephenblevins9 Shea Charles is a very good footballer and I agree with you. It was a very smart signing by Fulham. A possible observation - I think more and more young players will choose clubs on whether they play or not. He would likely be squad at MU v play at Fulham.

[Michael Esau @esaum]

@stujames75 School night in Pompey - fair play!