‘I have thought too deeply in the past’ - The psychology behind Ben Sheaf’s improvement at Doncaster Rovers

The Arsenal loanee has been a strong performer for Rovers during the 2019/20 season, with his performances on an upward curve through the campaign.

And he believes giving plenty of attention to the mental side of the game has been the key to his improvement on the pitch.

“I watch games back and I try not to think too deeply about things,” the 20-year-old said.

“I have thought too deeply in the past and that leads to overthinking on the pitch and not doing things that come naturally. Overthinking and getting caught on the ball or making the wrong decision.

“It’s about going back to basics, keeping things simple and building from there.

“I try not to think about things too much but there are times when you have spells on the pitch where you’re in sticky situations.

“You are only going to learn from those and the more of them you have the better.

“You can put them right in the games to come.

“I always try to learn from situations in games.

“For me, it’s about finding the rhythm and consistency because I think that is the main thing at this level that can take you places.”

Sheaf believes being granted access to a psychologist at his parent club has been vital for his progression and helped develop his mental approach to matches.

“I work with a psychologist which has been massive,” he said.

“I’ve been working with her for the last two years or so and that has been brilliant for me.

“It’s there, at your disposal so why not make use of it.

“It’s been brilliant since I started to get into it and I think it’s helped me a lot.

“That is the side of the game that I’m really trying to expand.

“You work on your tactical, your physical and your technical and the mental side of the game kind of gets lost a little bit.

“That is something I’m trying to work on and get better at.”