u/Datanman23

Im one of those players thats competent and decent, but nothing brilliant or extravagant.
However... when I play in a social league or against people that are okay I feel like Prime Steven Gerrard lol

Anyways...

Sometimes I play with people that are a lot better than me, or I end up in games that are so crowded that it feels impossible to find space, and that's when I start getting this weird feeling of anxiety and slight panic knowing that if I get the ball, I'm probably gonna have to make something happen quickly and play mostly off instinct

And I noticed something...
When that feeling hits, I stop scanning. I stop doing fakes or moves. I stop holding the ball for any reason at all. I start playing "safe"… but safe usually just means predictable, and sometimes I’ll force passes or lose the ball just trying to shield instead of turning and going at my opponent or into space.

I stop taking chances, stop trusting myself, and I end up playing far, FAR worse than the player I actually am. I don’t take people on, take my space or take risks because I want to build trust but reality is I’m not even trusting myself

Recently in my Sunday league one of our defenders scored an own goal, and I could immediately tell he was getting in his own head and starting to freeze up

So I told him
"Hey don't worry about the own goal, shit happens... you wanna know what's worse than the own goal itself? Panicking afterward and getting in your own head. That’s a much bigger mistake than an own goal"

He nodded

A little later he got the ball again, and I noticed he had a bunch of space ahead of him, but I could tell he was about to force a pass to me because he was scared of messing up again

So I point to the large area in front of him and said

"No, you take the ball up, you have a lot of space"

He drove the ball up, pulled his markers close and played a great pass to someone who was now open due the opposition being dragged in. He played great the rest of the game and he got more confident in carrying the ball up too.

So that just got me thinking...
I think a lot of players' biggest opponent isn't the person in front of them, it's their own head

Nobody's perfect, in fact I see an insane amount of fantastic players make mistakes all the time, but they usually get more hall passes than we realize because they keep being productive. They keep playing, keep taking chances, and keep trusting themselves. They keep playing their game

So if anyone needs to hear it...

Don't be afraid of losing the ball, just play your game

Because fear of failure isn't protecting you
It's usually THE mistake

TL;DR
The fear of making a mistake is a far larger mistake than pretty much anything you can do on the field... including scoring an own goal

Says ‘64’ in the middle piece and Super FX Technology on the wing. Seems like the cut scenes are gonna have a lot of treats

I’ve been thinking about my current rotation and wanted to get some opinions

Right now I’ve got:
• Copa Icon 2 FG/AG (these get most of the use since I play a lot on AG)
• Predator 24 Elite FG (my main firm ground pair)
• Predator Mania FG (new pickup, more of a sentimental pair)

For context, I’ve always been a big Predator guy. I had the Predator 24s for a while, but I found myself craving something more traditional, which is what led me to the Manias.

Now that I finally have them, I’m almost hesitant to play in them too much. I’d rather keep them in good shape long-term and use them more occasionally instead of running them into the ground. Not sure if that’s normal or if I should just treat them like any other boot. At least they’re not collecting dust on a scalper’s shelf I guess🤷‍♂️

So I’m kind of stuck between:

1. ⁠keeping all three as a well-rounded setup
2. ⁠simplifying because the Copas can technically handle FG as well

Would you consider this redundant or a solid rotation?

Also curious what people think about AG outsoles. How do you rate the Adidas AG outsoles like on the Copa Icon 2 in terms of safety on worn-down AG pitches? Do you feel they’re safe enough for most AG pitches or do the Mizuno or Sokito AG-specific plates blow them out in terms of safety on really flattened, beat-up AG. I sometimes feel like I have to go all the way down to turf shoes (not pictured) just to be on the safe side if the ag pitch is really rough. Is that overkill or pretty normal?

Appreciate any input.