We’ve all seen that player. The one that is unstoppable some games, and the next… it’s like they’re not even there.
Is that because they suddenly forgot how to play? Of course not. The difference is consistency.
If you’re serious about hitting your potential, you can’t just show up when you “feel it.” You need to bring it every single game and every single training session. Not just technically, but mentally as well.
Your touch, your effort, your focus, your attitude… it all matters. And being consistent doesn’t mean being boring. It means being dependable, doing what you do with the utmost reliability.
Below, we have put together a little guide that you can use to remind yourself now and then about this major key to the next level.
Do the Simple Things Right — Every Time
Coaches love a player they can trust. If they put you on the pitch, they want to know you’ll get the job done ten times out of ten. That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative — it means your basics have to be bulletproof.
Can you take a clean first touch under pressure? Make the right pass without hesitating? Most players can.
But can you do it again… and again… and again?
Pep Guardiola — who’s built some of the most consistent teams in football history — puts it perfectly:
“A lot of victories means how consistent we’ve been, not just this season but over the last four or five years in winning and winning and winning.”
The best players in the world aren’t just highlight reels. They make the easy stuff look easy, and they do it every single time.
Keep Your Head When It Gets Tough
Bad call from the ref? Opponent trying to wind you up? It’s all simply part of the game, and the difference between the player who stays locked in and the one who loses their cool can be the difference between winning and losing.
Not only can a negative attitude take you out of the game, but it can also make you a nightmare to play with as a teammate. Negativity, just like positivity, is infectious. It’s up to you to decide what type of influence you want to have on your team.
Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest managers ever, had a standard for his players:
“Only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat – and I expect us to do that.”
It’s about responding, not reacting. The pros treat every situation — good or bad — with focus and composure. Any good coach is going to tell you that this is a skill you can train just like your first touch.
Effort Is 100% in Your Control
In this game, there are just too many things that are out of your control… the score, the weather, the ref, even the team selection. But do you know what you can control, every time? Your effort.
Are you pressing hard when you lose the ball? Are you tracking back even when you’re tired? Are you taking training as seriously as match day?
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the GOATs, has an incredibly simple line he’s repeated his whole career:
“Talent without working hard is nothing.”
Your attitude and your effort are two things nobody can take away from you. Use them as your biggest asset.
Prepare Like a Pro
Just like all of the things above that are out of your control, you can’t guarantee you won’t get injured, but you can put yourself in the best possible shape to perform. That means eating right, staying fit, recovering well, and showing up to preseason ready to work.
Lionel Messi, the other GOAT, said it best:
“I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year – it took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”
Preparation isn’t just physical. It’s the standard you set for yourself, and it happens when nobody is watching.
Reliable First. Brilliant Second.
Don’t get us wrong, every good coach wants you to be creative. Those moments of magic are part of what makes you, you, and part of what makes the beautiful game so beautiful.
But the big question is this: can you bring your game, the real version of you, every single match?
That’s consistency. That’s what separates potential from performance.
And here at Spark, that’s what we build — players who don’t just show flashes, but show up. Match after match. Rep after rep. At every level.
If you’re serious about becoming the kind of player coaches can always count on, let’s get to work.
Book your first session today and start building the habits that separate potential from performance.