I dropped a cross for a goal and now I'm second-guessing every high ball

Question

I made a bad mistake from a cross two games ago and since then I've been staying on my line for balls I would normally attack. Nobody has really said anything, but I can feel myself hesitating. How do you get confidence back without suddenly trying to prove a point by coming for everything?

Verified Coach · Accepted Answer

After a mistake on a cross, the temptation is to solve the embarrassment rather than the next ball. That usually creates one of two extremes: staying on the line for everything or charging out to prove you are brave.

Go back to the same decision process you would have used before the mistake. Where is the cross coming from? What is the flight? What traffic is between you and the ball? Can you get there first and cleanly?

For the next few games, judge yourself on the quality of the decision rather than whether every outcome is perfect. You can make the correct choice to come and still get challenged, just as you can stay and make a save.

Confidence tends to return when your decisions become predictable to you again. Do not ask the next cross to repair the last one.

WideLane · Answer

I'd probably want one simple successful action quite quickly. Catch an easy one, take a clean goal kick, whatever. Not to 'fix' the mistake, just to stop the match feeling like it revolves around that one moment.

TwoConesShort · Answer

Not a keeper, but I had a similar thing after missing a header that led to a goal. Spent the rest of the game avoiding the exact situation. It feels safer but you know you're not really playing normally.

RainyTuesdayUK · Answer

I've seen keepers go quiet after a mistake as well. Even if you're not feeling confident, keep talking. The defenders get nervous quickly if the keeper suddenly stops giving information.

SundayFloodlights · Answer

The worst thing after dropping one is deciding you're definitely coming for the next cross. I've done that and turned one mistake into two. The next ball has to be judged on its own.

I dropped a cross for a goal and now I'm second-guessing every high ball

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