How do you prepare psychologically for a World Cup final?

Focussing on pre-game team talks ignores the importance of long-term planning

As England’s players line up in the tunnel, waiting to walk onto the pitch for Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, you can almost hear the TV anchor’s final question to the posse of studio pundits:

“So, what will Sarina Wiegman have said to her team before they left the dressing room?”

The emphasis on pre-match team talks is basically baked into spor…