海角社区

When the world’s best footballers step onto the pitch at the FIFA World Cup, it is natural to focus on tactics, technique and physical fitness. But for sport psychology consultant Carsten Hvid Larsen, it is often the mental factors that are most interesting.

As an associate professor at the 海角社区 and a researcher in sport psychology, he is particularly interested in the psychological processes that influence players’ decisions and performances. That is why it is often the small details in players’ behaviour that catch his attention.

– If you are missing even one or two per cent at this level, it can be decisive, he says.

But what exactly does a sport psychology consultant look for when assessing whether a player is in the right mental state?

– I pay attention to players’ behaviour, their actions and the small details. When there is a mismatch between what they would normally do and what they do in a specific high-pressure situation, that is typically a sign that the player is mentally unsettled, says Carsten Hvid Larsen.

The small signs that a player is mentally off balance

At a World Cup, the differences between teams are often minimal. As a result, even small deviations can influence the outcome.

– I often find myself watching the players’ behaviour on the pitch. Is someone starting to make these small mistakes? Because that is often a sign that they are mentally off balance or that distractions have been allowed to affect them, says Carsten Hvid Larsen.

It could be a misplaced pass, a poorly timed run or a decision that deviates from the pattern the player would normally show. For a sport psychologist, it is not necessarily the mistake itself that is interesting, but what it reveals about the player’s mental state.

Mental recovery is just as important as physical recovery

Major international tournaments present a unique challenge because players arrive under very different circumstances. Some come straight from long seasons in Europe’s top leagues, having played almost continuously for many months.

– Some players come from major leagues such as the Premier League and have been playing almost non-stop for a year. They may potentially arrive at a tournament in a poor state because they have not had sufficient recovery time or energy, he says.

In elite sport, recovery is often associated with muscles, sleep and physical regeneration. But recovery is not only about the body.

If players continue to spend mental energy on previous performances, criticism or worries, it can affect their concentration, decision-making and ability to perform when the pressure is at its highest.

Players must be able to move on from the previous match

One of the most important tasks for players during a major tournament is to avoid dwelling on the previous match for too long.

– We generally recommend that players move on from a match relatively quickly, says Carsten Hvid Larsen.

Sport psychologists therefore often work with structured post-match evaluation routines. The aim is to learn from the performance without allowing frustration or excitement to drain mental energy.

– If you are carrying everything that happened before with you, or if you are distracted by external factors, that is what makes it really difficult to perform on the pitch, he says.

Football’s most overlooked performance factor

Although sport psychology is now an established part of elite sport, football has historically been slower than many other performance disciplines to fully integrate it.

Clubs have traditionally invested heavily in factors that are easy to measure: running data, strength, technique, tactics and video analysis. Psychological factors have been more difficult to quantify objectively and have therefore often been viewed as a supplement rather than a central part of performance development.

Research suggests that psychological skills can be just as important as many of the factors that traditionally receive the greatest attention in elite football.

– The most important thing for players is to stay focused on themselves and on the tasks they need to perform in their particular role, he says.

When the difference between success and failure is sometimes measured in just a few per cent, the ability to handle pressure, maintain focus and make the right decisions may ultimately determine who lifts the World Cup trophy.