After Barcelona's 1-4 defeat against PSG, some Barca players were criticized for silly mistakes. One of the episodes was Joao Cancelo's tackle on Ousmane Dembele, analyzed by Thierry Henry.
Henry believes Cancelo's reaction to the episode reflects the mental stability and composure of the player, which varies significantly among each person.
As a spectator, you can observe the moment with a cold head: Dembele's first touch was a heavy one and the ball was going outside the box. So, no danger for Barcelona if Cancelo just stays on his feet, however, he decides to get the ball with a tackle.
Dembele manages to put his foot on the ball just a little bit earlier than Cancelo. But this short instant was enough for the PSG player to cover the ball fully so the Barca player couldn't reach the ball.
This episode seems to be pretty simple - just don't tackle. However, footballers' brains don't work that way each time, because this is the thing you can't train.
Henry explains: "How can you develop the brain of someone to react to that exact thing?
"You can’t recreate the crowd at training. You can't simulate the pressure of playing with a man down. You can’t create the fear of not being able to come back into the game.
"How do you create such circumstances? Some stay calm, others don’t. Virgil van Dijk, for example, wouldn’t commit a foul because he remains calm from the start of the game. But not everyone is the same."
"As a coach, you tell a player before the game: 'Stay calm, keep your feet on the ground. Make sure nobody gets sent off.' All coaches say the same before games - be careful not to get sent off."
"However, players react and get dismissed. It has a huge impact on the game. But again – how do you teach a player to react in such situations? Only when a difficult situation arises will you know whether you can stay calm or not."
So it seems more like a thing that comes with experience or just a natural mental state for some players who can calmly deal under high pressure.
