Teamwork or Lack Thereof

Every week I learn something new when watching soccer games. I watched soccer before, but supporting a team is a totally new experience. My husband and I support Aston Villa, and our team is very close to the relegation zone. To tell the truth, since we were promoted to the Premier League, every game has been a battle, and we’re not playing very well. We all accepted that there are no easy games in this league, but I feel like our team are not putting in enough effort.

We still have eleven games before the end of the season. So, I want to believe that things will get better, and we will stay in the Premier League. On the other hand, I feel like we do not have the right team. I’m aware that I may seem harsh on the players by saying this, but I have two good reasons for this point of view. First of all, I am not a soccer expert, so I am not going to talk about how to build a good soccer team. Besides that, I’m still learning the rules and trying to understand it better. But I am a program manager and I work with teams that do not report to me directly but work for my programs. And I know very well how team members contribute to our success.

We played Tottenham two weeks ago. We were to win the game but at least come away with a point. Even though we played pretty well, we lost the game after conceding Hyeung-Min Son’s 94th-minute winner. He looked happy when he scored the goal, but we all could see the pain on his face. Later on, we found out that he played with a fractured arm, and in this condition, he played the entire before scoring a last-minute goal for his team. Who would not want to have a team player like that? It was awe-inspiring and an excellent example for all other footballers.

Last week, we faced another critical game, this time against Southampton. In the first half, one of our players, Anwar El Ghazi, fell to the ground with an apparent facial injury. It seemed to me as if he was poked in the eye, but did not seem too serious. He lay on the pitch several minutes, whilst receiving treatment, while our frustrated captain wanted him off the pitch to allow Villa to continue. Shortly after, El Ghazi was substituted because he felt he could not carry on. The problem was that we did not have anyone who could replace him, and we needed him.

Why didn’t he continue playing? Was his condition critical? I cannot answer these questions. However, when our team are in a relegation battle, I expected all the team members to show desire to win. If we lost the game, we could have said at least we played well. He did not try to get back to the game. At that moment, I hoped that we could win without him and show him he was not that important. We could make things happen without him.

The same day, the same game, a Southampton player, Moussa Djenepo, also fell to the ground with a head injury. He was hit badly, and he was clearly bleeding. It took him 2 minutes to get to his feet. So, how could we expect to win against this team? A team that really wanted to win the game. Another sad truth was, they were not even in the relegation zone. They wouldn’t lose anything if they lost the game. Also, they weren’t one of the best team, and we were as good as they were if our team members had the right attitude.

We lost the game.

With this third incident, while we were watching the game, I had my aha moment.  Watching soccer showed me one more time that having the right people in your team is the key for the success.  It is very similar to our work life. We rely on each other; as our team members’ actions impact our success. When we have an urgent deadline, we may have to stay longer at work, or we go to work even we are sick, or even our kids are sick.

When our footballer was leaving the pitch, while holding his eyes, I was thinking about teamwork. I wished to see blood or something that could have made me feel less upset with him. Less than 30 minutes in the game, he had quit on his team. If we do not have dedicated footballers who understand their responsibility, we will continue to lose and end up relegated from the Premier League.

I know we all need good leaders, managers and coaches, but if a team member does not want to be part of the team, the world’s best manager can’t make it happen. Regardless of the situation and sector, if a team member costs us continuously a game or a project, we should let them go. In our case, El- Ghazi’s attitude may cost Aston Villa their Premier League status.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

If I find out El Ghazi had brain damage or loss of sight because of the tackle, I will write another post about why we like judging people too quickly. At this moment, I could not see any news related to his situation.  He does not want to be part of the team and he does not deserve to put on Aston Villa shirt.