BELGIUM RED DEVILS
RED DEVILS
In the summer of 2018, Roberto Martinez led the talented Belgian national team to third place at the World Cup in Russia. Uniting a group of talented individuals – dubbed Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ – has been a high profile leadership challenge.
“Cognite have provided psychological strategies that have permeated across all aspects of high performance, helping to effect individual players, coaches, support staff and, ultimately, the team.“
WORLD CUP 2018
Cognite worked alongside staff to outline the psychological demands of a major tournament.
These included how to communicate with different characters within the group, creating high performance environments, using video to communicate key psychological messages, and planning for a range of on and off field scenarios.
BEATING BRAZIL
The Red Devils topped their group to progress to the knockout stages. In the round of sixteen, Belgium were trailing two nil to Japan before dramatically winning the game 3-2.
In the quarter finals, a tactical change saw Belgium beat Brazil 2-1 to set up a tense semi-final against eventual winners France. Belgium defeated England in the third place play off to secure their best World Cup finish.
ONGOING SUPPORT
Following the World Cup, Cognite provided support in how to reflect and respond on the team’s overall performance and, crucially, how to maintain motivation for the next challenge.
The Red Devils now utilise Cognite’s SnapShot Profiling to develop their understanding of the evolving team dynamic within the group.
“Ahead of the World Cup in Russia, Cognite set in place psychological strategies to use throughout the preparation phase and World Cup Finals that took into consideration the team, the individual, the culture and the environment. We prepared for all scenarios of a demanding period, helping us to navigate the pressures and expectations of progress through a World Cup.”
