DON’T COACH THE MISTAKE. COACH THE INTENTION. ⚽️ A line to reflect on. Of course not always, but more than not often. There’s a powerful coaching lesson in something Pep Guardiola speaks about. During one difficult period for him the season before last, his approach was to demand more. Demand better. Challenge errors. Hold players accountable. But later, last season, the Pep Guardiola message evolved. As seen in this dressing room footage he told his players: It’s okay to lose the ball. It’s okay to make mistakes. There was just one condition: Make the mistake with conviction. In other words… If you’re going to attempt the pass, commit to it. If you’re going to make the decision, make it with 100% intention. Because there is a huge difference between: ❌ A mistake caused by hesitation, fear or lack of application. and ✅ A mistake that happens while a player is fully committed to doing the right thing. That distinction matters enormously for coaches. Too often we see the outcome: “He gave the ball away.” But before correcting the player, ask: What was the intention? Was the player trying to break a line? Trying to find the free player? Trying to play forward? Trying to exploit the space we’ve coached them to recognize? If the intention was right, the solution might not be changing the decision at all. The decision may be correct. The execution may simply need improving. And those require completely different coaching interventions. If we punish every mistake, eventually players stop taking responsibility. They stop experimenting. They stop seeing possibilities. They start choosing the safest option available, not necessarily the best one. QUOTE THIS FROM KEEPITONTHEDECK..... "Great environments give players freedom to fail with purpose." #pepguardiola #guardiola