Did Manchester City players choke or did they panic? How could a team with the calibre players and the budget of Manchester City make such heavy weather of beating QPR eventually snatching the UK Premier league title in extra time? They did not lack talent therefore was it a mental issue? What part did choking or panicking play in their second half display? City played against ten QPR men for most of the second half, had virtually all the possession, missed a staggering amount of kicks at goal before Dzeko equalised and then Aguero sealed the victory. Just check the relevant match stats: City had 81% of the possession, 44 goal attempts to 3 and 19 corners to nil.
So, was it choke or panic? According to Malcolm Gladwell on the “Art of failure” "Choking" sounds like a vague and all-encompassing term, yet it describes a very specific kind of failure. Under conditions of stress the explicit system sometimes takes over. That's what it means to choke. Panic, in this sense, is the opposite of choking. Choking is about thinking too much. Panic is about thinking too little. Choking is about loss of instinct. Panic is reversion to instinct. They may look the same, they may result in poor performance but they are worlds apart."
Or did some players choke and some panic?
Dr Steve Harris
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