Arsenal might be choking again in England’s Premier League. Here are 4 psychological fixes
- Written by Alberto Filgueiras, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, CQUniversity Australia
Arsenal is still on the top of the English Premier League ladder, but as in previous years, the Gunners might be crumbling just when a first title since 2003–04[1] is within touching distance.
In early April, Arsenal had a commanding grip on the title – nine points ahead of nearest rivals Manchester City. Now it’s just three (and City has played one less game).
This isn’t the first time Arsenal has lapsed at late stages in recent years: last season they finished second behind Liverpool. In 2023–4 they finished runners-up behind Manchester City. They were second again the year before.
Arsenal fans are no doubt expecting another dose of late-season heartbreak – it’s likely players and club staff are feeling similarly jittery. However, there are psychological strategies that could help them keep fighting until the final whistle.
Oh no, not again
The team led by Mikel Arteta recently eked out a 1-0 win against Newcastle United[2] but before that had suffered two consecutive defeats: first against Bournemouth at home and then to Manchester City.
Looking closely at these two matches, they had a similar dynamic: Arsenal conceded the first goal in the first half, scored the equaliser a few minutes later, and suffered defeat in the second half.
This looks like a symptom. If you concede a goal earlier in a match, you need to put extra energy in to find an equaliser. At halftime, players should reset but the emotional cost of chasing an equaliser may impair their shift into a winning mindset.
This is choking under pressure[3]: when fear of losing is bigger than the willingness to win.
Arsenal’s players have a team of sport psychologists and mindset coaches at their disposal.
Here are the four key psychological tools they will probably use to improve consistency in these final rounds of the season.
1. Work out your routines
Consistency is crucial for athletes, and predictability creates the space for players to become consistent.
The basic assumption behind the concept is: if you keep doing the same things, you can expect the same results. Regardless of the level of competitive pressure, sport performance tends to become more stable[4] when pre-performance routines are applied.
These routines can take many forms: some athletes might prefer to take a shower, or pray, visualise or meditate before a match.
During games, many prefer to take a deep breath before a penalty (such as Cristiano Ronaldo) whereas others might fix their gaze on a single spot on the ball before shooting.
The key is, sport psychologists should help athletes tailor their pre-game or pre-shot routines to enhance performance.
2. Practise mindfulness
Mental distress can have a crushing impact on athletes.
When an athlete is emotionally stressed, the body tends to increase its levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)[5], which leads to muscle rigidness. This can impact performance.
To counter this, leading stress education expert Jon Kabat-Zinn developed mindfulness-based stress reduction[6] – a set of techniques that includes breathing meditation, deliberate focus on the present moment, and yoga-like body movements to improve emotional regulation.
When empirically tested in athletes[7], mindfulness meditation showed significant effectiveness to improve attentional control (the ability to focus attention on a task while avoiding distractions).
Applying mindfulness techniques alone or in combination can boost performance and may help Arsenal achieve the consistency needed in these final rounds.
3. Be positive with self-talk
Self-confidence and fear of mistakes can freeze athletes in high-stakes moments. This impacts decision-making and slows down execution.
For example, a full-back gets the ball on the defensive flank and scans for options. He can either play a penetrating pass to break the opposition’s defensive lines or pass backwards to his centre-back.
This a split-second decision – if he hesitates, the forward pass can be intercepted and the backward pass may come under pressure, leading to a costly mistake.
To tackle self-doubt, sport psychologists teach athletes to reframe their thoughts and create more effective task-oriented inner dialogues.
Research shows[8] instructional self-talk can help athletes improve their performance.
So in the example above, what our full-back needs to do is, instead of thinking about the potential consequences of his actions, just tell himself to execute the pass.
If done properly, instructional self-talk can help Arsenal’s players choose the best options and execute them.
4. Get used to dealing with pressure
Matches are high-stakes, but training sessions tend to be focused on technical and tactical skills under lower pressure.
However, research shows embedding mild anxiety into training sessions helps athletes cope better under pressure[9].
Athletes who train under pressure[10] often perform better than those who do not.
So Arsenal’s coaches should be looking to ramp up pressure in training sessions while ensuring the players can work with sport psychologists and mindset coaches.
A race in two
After the recent win against Newcastle, Arteta said:
I don’t expect after 22 years not winning it that it is going to be a path of roses and beautiful music around it. It is going to be like this and we are ready for it.
Whether they are ready for it remains to be seen. But if the Gunners are to finally taste the ultimate success in this season’s Premier League, a combination of these techniques might help them cope under pressure, avoid choking, and finally lift the trophy.
Assuming, of course, Manchester City allows it.
References
- ^ a first title since 2003–04 (www.sportingnews.com)
- ^ eked out a 1-0 win against Newcastle United (www.premierleague.com)
- ^ choking under pressure (doi.org)
- ^ tends to become more stable (doi.org)
- ^ increase its levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) (my.clevelandclinic.org)
- ^ mindfulness-based stress reduction (psycnet.apa.org)
- ^ When empirically tested in athletes (doi.org)
- ^ Research shows (doi.org)
- ^ helps athletes cope better under pressure (doi.org)
- ^ train under pressure (doi.org)
Authors: Alberto Filgueiras, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, CQUniversity Australia
