Roy Hodgson has revealed that England will use a top
sports psychiatrist to help the players in their FIFA World Cup campaign in
Brazil.
Ahead of the friendly with Denmark at Wembley on
Wednesday, Hodgson confirmed that Dr Steve Peters, who has worked closely with
Liverpool and Team GB, will be on hand to offer his expertise as England bid
for success in South America later this year.
Hodgson believes Peters' knowledge of the game will
ensure he becomes a key part of the England backroom staff.
"He's a famous man in that area who's got a
fantastic record of working in many different sports," said Hodgson.
"We're really happy. We wanted to make certain we
got the man we wanted, who understands the footballing environment and joins us
rather than someone who's going to come in and lecture the players.
"We have to think that if there are any benefits out
there available to us we have to take advantage of them.
"It's when you get to a tournament phase that
someone can play a part because we have the players for a longer time.
"People will say 'Steve Peters is going to help them
score five penalties out of five.'
"He won't be able to help us do that, but what he
might be able to do is help us be better mentally prepared for any challenges
we may face."
Captain Steven Gerrard, who has worked with Peters at
Liverpool, was fulsome in his praise.
"He's helped me an awful lot," he said.
"I've been seeing him for three years now, from when I had a big groin
problem.
"I went to see him in a one-on-one situation and I
really like the work he did.
"I feel as if he can help the players and the
players can buy into what he's trying to do."
Culled from Soccerway
0 comments:
Post a Comment