Dan Abrahams talks about how important mental preparation is for Watford ahead of the FA Cup final.
The players will no doubt be less prepared for walking out in front of 90 000 at Wembley than Manchester City. The adrenaline will be flowing, they will have to control that and get down to business if they are to make history.
It wouldn’t be disrespectful to say that for some of them, this will be beyond a dream to be at Wembley and within reach of winning THE best Cup competition in the world.
Manchester City have huge experience having won eight major trophies in the last eight years. The pressure will be of no surprise to them. Watford on the other hand, have never won a major honour. The last time they reached a cup final was in 1984.
To be fair, the Hornets have been to three Championship play-off finals – two at Wembley and one at the Millennium Stadium – but this is different.
Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams says:
“The implications of the different atmosphere can bring performance anxiety, which can be crippling,” says Abrahams, who works on a consultancy basis for AFC Bournemouth and Swedish top-flight side Ostersunds, having previously worked with the FA, PFA, LMA and a host of Premier League and Championship clubs across his 19-year career.
You see it all the time in one-off games, as players fail to deal with the occasion and their performance levels drop well below the standards of which they are capable. They misplace passes, overhit crosses and miss chances they would score in any other game.
“As the name performance anxiety suggests, players can experience psychological anxiety and physiological stress response,” says Abrahams.
“Players develop tunnel vision, where they no longer see a 360-degree view of the pitch. It will make them feel lethargic and flat, so they’re slow to anticipate and are slow to make decisions.
“Their first touch goes and their motor behaviour, which is essentially their technique, atrophies. Subsequently, what you see is a player playing worse.”
The Cup is all about giant killing though, you just have to think of the Wigan Athletic FA Cup heroes of 2013 who beat Manchester City.
“Things were very calm pre-match. No fear, no pressure,” then-captain Emmerson Boyce told the Daily Mail ahead of Wigan’s fifth-round meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side in 2018, which they also won.
Achieving that composed state of mind before taking to the field is where Abrahams, who also held the position of Lead Sports Psychologist with England Rugby from 2017-18 and England Golf from 2013-16, comes in.
“Sticking to your normal routine is really important,” he says. “You’re trying to help players perceive the game in the same way they perceive every game.” Adding, “Self-talk, breathing techniques and directing your focus and attention can help,” he says.
“A player can manage their stress levels by speaking to themselves: “OK, stop. This is a big game, but all I’ve got to do is stick to what I usually do. I can’t force a great performance or guarantee a great result. I’ve just got to focus on what I can control.”
“It’s the controlling the controllables philosophy.”
He goes on to say that players need to focus on themselves, what their roles and responsibilities are and make sure they play at the correct intensity.
All sounds easy doesn’t it? We shall see.