-Well, Dr. Pichon Rivière, we should now address what is considered tactics and what we define as strategy.
-Agreed. If we refer to the academic linguistic definition, tactics is defined as a "special system used in some matter or enterprise, discreetly and skillfully, to achieve a goal." If we transfer this concept to football, we find that tactics here is nothing more than the positioning of players on the field and the assignment of each player's mission during the game. Modern football is based on team integration, so that each player has both defensive and offensive duties.
-Is the mission always both defensive and offensive at the same time?
-Exactly, although to different degrees, depending on the player's position. But all players, to perform well, must fulfill both aspects; failing to collaborate with teammates in some of them puts them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, anything one player fails to do will have to be done by a teammate whom he did not assist, and that is relative because the teammate may not always be in a position to do so.
-So, finding the right tactics would be ideal?
-I have already stated that tactics is the arrangement of player functions on the field and the organization of their movements according to a predetermined plan aimed at neutralizing the opponent's defense and overcoming their offense. But it is not enough to conceive an ideal plan; for a team to function, trials must be conducted, synchronization among players must be sought, and so on. Additionally, one must consider that a theoretical plan on a board is one thing, and executing it on the field is quite another, as the game is played with thinking individuals, not automatons. That is why it is not possible to create a tactic and then fit players into it; rather, the tactic must be adapted to the players available.
-And what about strategy?
-Strategy would be the prior work of an individual or group, through which, by means of a continuous process of role assumption, the action is internally presented. Through a learning process, an adjustment is made between the work framework and the later operational techniques that will attempt to execute what was planned in advance.
-What does this role assumption mean?
-George H. Mead, one of the founders of Social Psychology, considers the concept of role indispensable for explaining the genesis of personality. Thanks to language, a person can internalize the different parts of a social act—in this case, a football match—in which he participates. This allows him to control both the activity of "others" and his "own," based on a planned strategy for the social act.
-Does this mean that a player assumes another player's attitude?
-That’s right: the player can take on the attitude of another, meaning he plays the role of that "other." Through this process, he understands the "other," recognizing his possibilities on the field and being able to take on that role in a specific situation.
-But can a player simultaneously represent internally all the other players on the field?
-Without a doubt. The totality of characters involved in the action—not only teammates but also opponents—forms a whole within the player. This is what Mead calls the "generalized other," which ultimately serves as a referential, operational, or strategic framework.
-So, does a match begin before the player even steps onto the field?
-Exactly. The match begins in what we might call the "internal field," where, through mental rehearsals, the player configures a strategy and a tactic for playing on the external field. If this capability is combined with ball control, the player achieves an effectiveness that is difficult to measure.
-I understand, but I suppose contingencies cannot be entirely predicted...
-One of the conditions we must highlight is that the player must be able to adjust certain work patterns during the game itself. This means going through the different stages of what social sciences call "operational inquiry." This is how we witness an intelligent, dynamic, and aesthetic performance of someone trying to resolve the challenges of the game through his actions.
-I think we are approaching the concept of the "operative team."
-No doubt. We have already said that each player represents the eleven opponents, the ten teammates, and himself in action. This approach leads to a flexible administration of roles, achieving cohesion and operability where each player takes on the characteristics of a task leader (also known as a functional leader) when, through his actions and the overall dynamics, he determines the course of play at a given moment. If each player performs his task in this way—where individual and group factors coexist as described—each one contributes effectively in every moment.
-Could this system be hindered by players with certain psychological anomalies?
-Sometimes, we observe players who, due to neurotic factors, exhibit an unassigned form of leadership; on the other hand, some may struggle to make even the smallest, constantly changing decision necessary to play their role within the team. The former are characterized by being nervous, aggressive, and disruptive, seeking confrontation as an outlet for their neurosis. Meanwhile, the latter appear as indecisive and depressive individuals, filled with guilt every time the team loses, believing themselves responsible for the defeat.
-Aren’t we once again approaching the concepts of "play" and "sport"?
-In these complex social functions, which are organized from childhood, Mead himself studies two types of activities that manifest during a child's development: "play" and "game"—terms that do not have an exact equivalent in Spanish but can be translated as "juego" and "deporte." "Play" is free play, while "game" is an organized activity containing elements of institutionalized behavior. In "play," for example, a child might play with an imaginary companion, alternating between his own role and that of his companion. Between ages six and eight, children’s games change in nature and become organized, social activities with other children.
We can then affirm that to perform a specific social role, each of us must incorporate a considerable number of roles corresponding to our time and social group. Similarly, a football player will assume a role or set of roles based on his childhood history and current situations. And any difficulty in managing a game situation on the field will always be linked to more or less irrational elements that the player is unaware of but that can significantly disrupt the group’s task. If teammates overly identify with a neurotic player’s role, the entire team will take on characteristics of a conflicted group, expressing this condition through a particular neurotic behavior.
-How could this situation be resolved?
-The only way is through a psychotherapeutic technique called "group psychotherapy," which, along with its therapist, must examine the interplay of roles within the group concerning the specific task of playing football and winning.
Enrique Pichon Rivière
(From Psychology of Everyday Life, 1966/67)