Locotoro
Prince of Zamunda
- Sep 2, 2004
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If you think that intelligence comes a long way down the list of assets a footballer needs to succeed at the highest level, watch Arsenal in Wednesday's Carling Cup tie at Newcastle and think again.
Arsene Wenger's Gunners have all had to pass a psychometric test set by Jacques Crevoisier - the man the Arsenal manager trusts to gauge if his next batch of stars have what it takes.
The 62-year-old psychologist, who has known Wenger for 40 years, has delved into the minds of some of the finest young players Europe has seen, among them Henry, Anelka, Trezeguet, Walcott, Wilshere and Ramsey.
'Arsene Wenger always tells me that you have to be clever to play for Arsenal and that is where he starts,' says Crevoisier from his home near Geneva.
'Without that, you cannot fit into his system. 'At Arsenal I've done tests for all the young players. They were all outstanding psychologically. I think Wilshere's showed him to be a bit more confident than Walcott but they all had some of the best profiles you will see.'
Crevoisier uses a 117-question psychological assessment on youngsters to help managers deduce their strengths and weaknesses.
It measures their psychological endurance, competitiveness, emotional control, stress resistance and aggression among other things.
It involves asking a player how strongly he agrees or disagrees with statements such as:
Even in training, I want to show I am better than the others.
I am ready to hurt my adversary in order to win.
Some of the results of English players are alarming when compared to their equivalents in France, where he does most of his work.
'Young English players come across as more committed and aggressive in the test but their self-confidence and concentration is not as good,' he says.
'The lack of self-confidence is understandable because it is so difficult to get a chance to break through.
'If you are at an average-sized club in France you will get the opportunity to play. At the same size club in England, you have, say, a 28-year-old international with lots of caps in front of you and the chance is not there.
'Young players in France feel they have a better chance of getting a professional contract.'
That's not the case at Arsenal, though. Wenger's legendary youth policy is in some part thanks to Crevoisier, who tests the players at the academy every two years.
Crevoisier began his psychometric testing when working with French Olympic hopefuls before Gerard Houllier recruited him to work with the French FA.
'I was a player-coach at 25 when I started studying for a PhD in psychology. I developed the test and used it on everyone from the Under 15s to the Under 21s.
Coaches were happy with the football side and tactics, they understood the physical and fitness side of the game but they weren't sure about psychology and motivation.
'English players come across as more committed and aggressive in the test but their self-confidence and concentration is not as good'
There were good players who weren't performing properly and nobody could work out why. We wanted to assess their personalities, see the weaknesses and correct what we could. So I came in with this test and we ended up changing 50 per cent of the Under 18 team.
'The test is like taking a picture but if I take a picture of you in the summer and then one in the winter, you will have a different face. I discuss the results with the coach to make sure it is a true reflection of what they see daily.
'If we find the same problems, we can try to fix them. For example, if a player has a concentration problem, is no good just saying 'Concentrate'. So you give them an exercise to hit sharp passes along the ground, no mistakes allowed, and they have to concentrate.
'With 14-year-olds you ask them to do it for a minute, 18-year-olds maybe two. If you do that three times a week, you will notice the difference. I remember Steven Gerrard doing that exercise and I have never seen anyone do it as well in my life.'
In the early 1990s he was testing what was to become France's golden generation. 'Thierry Henry and Mikael Silvestre are probably the two best profiles I have ever seen and their tests were brilliant at 16,' says Crevoisier.
'I have tests for Henry, Silvestre, Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet and Willy Sagnol at 16, 18 and 20 and they were all excellent. When Anelka was 15, he was a little bit of a difficult personality but he had incredible self-confidence for someone of his age.'
However, his job is not without frustration. 'I worked for Tottenham's academy for two years when Damien Comolli was there,' he explains.
'I have a 10-minute rule, which means players practise a weakness at the end of training for 10 minutes. The results are brilliant.
'I remember giving the young players at Tottenham their tasks and they would do them at the end of training. The problem was that the players were not given a chance in the first team - they still aren't. What is the point of having an academy if you don't use those players?'
Crevoisier is keen to work more clubs in England but his problem is finding managers who want to put developing young players first. If Arsenal win tonight, it will be as good an advert as any.
Interesting reading...the Spurs bit especially
Arsene Wenger's Gunners have all had to pass a psychometric test set by Jacques Crevoisier - the man the Arsenal manager trusts to gauge if his next batch of stars have what it takes.
The 62-year-old psychologist, who has known Wenger for 40 years, has delved into the minds of some of the finest young players Europe has seen, among them Henry, Anelka, Trezeguet, Walcott, Wilshere and Ramsey.
'Arsene Wenger always tells me that you have to be clever to play for Arsenal and that is where he starts,' says Crevoisier from his home near Geneva.
'Without that, you cannot fit into his system. 'At Arsenal I've done tests for all the young players. They were all outstanding psychologically. I think Wilshere's showed him to be a bit more confident than Walcott but they all had some of the best profiles you will see.'
Crevoisier uses a 117-question psychological assessment on youngsters to help managers deduce their strengths and weaknesses.
It measures their psychological endurance, competitiveness, emotional control, stress resistance and aggression among other things.
It involves asking a player how strongly he agrees or disagrees with statements such as:
Even in training, I want to show I am better than the others.
I am ready to hurt my adversary in order to win.
Some of the results of English players are alarming when compared to their equivalents in France, where he does most of his work.
'Young English players come across as more committed and aggressive in the test but their self-confidence and concentration is not as good,' he says.
'The lack of self-confidence is understandable because it is so difficult to get a chance to break through.
'If you are at an average-sized club in France you will get the opportunity to play. At the same size club in England, you have, say, a 28-year-old international with lots of caps in front of you and the chance is not there.
'Young players in France feel they have a better chance of getting a professional contract.'
That's not the case at Arsenal, though. Wenger's legendary youth policy is in some part thanks to Crevoisier, who tests the players at the academy every two years.
Crevoisier began his psychometric testing when working with French Olympic hopefuls before Gerard Houllier recruited him to work with the French FA.
'I was a player-coach at 25 when I started studying for a PhD in psychology. I developed the test and used it on everyone from the Under 15s to the Under 21s.
Coaches were happy with the football side and tactics, they understood the physical and fitness side of the game but they weren't sure about psychology and motivation.
'English players come across as more committed and aggressive in the test but their self-confidence and concentration is not as good'
There were good players who weren't performing properly and nobody could work out why. We wanted to assess their personalities, see the weaknesses and correct what we could. So I came in with this test and we ended up changing 50 per cent of the Under 18 team.
'The test is like taking a picture but if I take a picture of you in the summer and then one in the winter, you will have a different face. I discuss the results with the coach to make sure it is a true reflection of what they see daily.
'If we find the same problems, we can try to fix them. For example, if a player has a concentration problem, is no good just saying 'Concentrate'. So you give them an exercise to hit sharp passes along the ground, no mistakes allowed, and they have to concentrate.
'With 14-year-olds you ask them to do it for a minute, 18-year-olds maybe two. If you do that three times a week, you will notice the difference. I remember Steven Gerrard doing that exercise and I have never seen anyone do it as well in my life.'
In the early 1990s he was testing what was to become France's golden generation. 'Thierry Henry and Mikael Silvestre are probably the two best profiles I have ever seen and their tests were brilliant at 16,' says Crevoisier.
'I have tests for Henry, Silvestre, Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet and Willy Sagnol at 16, 18 and 20 and they were all excellent. When Anelka was 15, he was a little bit of a difficult personality but he had incredible self-confidence for someone of his age.'
However, his job is not without frustration. 'I worked for Tottenham's academy for two years when Damien Comolli was there,' he explains.
'I have a 10-minute rule, which means players practise a weakness at the end of training for 10 minutes. The results are brilliant.
'I remember giving the young players at Tottenham their tasks and they would do them at the end of training. The problem was that the players were not given a chance in the first team - they still aren't. What is the point of having an academy if you don't use those players?'
Crevoisier is keen to work more clubs in England but his problem is finding managers who want to put developing young players first. If Arsenal win tonight, it will be as good an advert as any.
Interesting reading...the Spurs bit especially
, and had to be banned from International football as a punishment.
