Coaches need to give players the best possible chance to succeed and the that starts with practice.  You prepare your players in practice to get the most out of them when game time comes and when game time comes all you can ask is for your players to give it everything they have.  If they go out and execute the fundamentals, play hard, and play the entire game regardless of the score, then as a coach you have to be able to live with the outcome.

All your players can do is give good honest effort, 100%, not 110% because that is impossible, but if they give it their all and as a coach you have prepared them properly, win or lose you have to have their backs.  You have to pick up your team and go back to practice and stick to the process, because if the process is good and your team works hard they will get better.  If you always change your process your players will be confused and not know what to expect therefore making it hard for them to prepare.

Note To Players:

As players you have to understand that the other team is working as hard as you are and they want to win just like you do.  This means when game time comes you have to go “TAKE” the win because your opponents want the win just like you do.  A sure fire way to lose to a team “that you are not supposed to” (I hate that term) is to show up assuming you are the better team and play without a sense of urgency and passion. 

If you are truly better, then prove it, go out and execute, give it everything you have and leave it all on the field.  If you do this you may or may not win, but just like the coaches you will be able to look at yourself and your team and live with the results. 

Note to Coaches and Players:

Respect your opponent at all times, give them credit for working as hard as you do, understand they too want to win.  If you do this you will never look past an opponent and you will always prepare properly to win the game.