Chris Smalling looks like a completely different player this season, doesn’t he?
But what is the Manchester United centre-back’s improvement down to?
He’s got the same goalkeeper behind him, the same centre-half partner and he’s not exactly grown physically over the summer.
Smalling attributes his development to the fact that he has begun regularly visiting a sports psychologist.
In an interview with The Times, Smalling said: “I go see him [the psychologist] twice a month. A couple of hours each time.
“He was recommended through a friend. At first I was quite a sceptic. You picture it being for bad boys who need to be reformed. I thought, ‘Well, I won’t need that.’
“But it’s not like that. Anyone can benefit. For me, it was a case of focusing . You can have so many different demands; trying to please the fans, pleasing the manager, please yourself.
“You can put too much pressure on yourself. You can start forcing balls, maybe trying too hard. You make things too complicated. It’s about uncluttering the mind.
“We do a lot of visualisation in terms of future games, what’s coming up. So if there’s a big game against City in the week I will be visualising different things so I am not too hyped up.
“People might think it’s all about getting up for a game but it’s often the opposite.
“It makes sense to me. You work every day technically, physically but so much is in the mind. Look at when players go on big scoring runs, then stop scoring. It’s not that they are any different physically, it’s very often mental, confidence, concentration.”
Smalling has been one of United’s best players this season as the Red Devils have put together a start to the season that has seen them turn into the meanest defence in the league, conceding just 10 goals.
And while the manager sometimes struggles to get his name right, Smalling has been tipped by many to succeed Wayne Rooney as United captain.
