I think the departure of Dr Claire-Marie Roberts could turn out to be a massive loss for the club.
She was Performance Director for just over 2 years and was involved in areas such as performance, preparation, psychology and recovery.
One thing that has stood out against Arsenal and Hull is how many of the players seem to be playing with fear and lacking confidence. Too often we take the easy option with a 10 yard sideways or backwards pass rather than trying something positive.
MVE is probably the most obvious example. He just does not look like the same player at the moment and seems to be playing with very little confidence.
Obviously, none of us know exactly what Roberts did day to day or how much influence she had on individual players, so I am not saying her departure is the reason for what we are seeing on the pitch, but confidence and mentality are obviously massively important at this level, and I wonder whether we have lost something since she left.
Maybe bringing in another top quality Performance Director or sports psychologist would help, particularly if some of the players are struggling with the pressure of the Premier League.
Hopefully the club is planning to replace Roberts with someone of similar quality, as that side of things could be really important this season.
She was Performance Director for just over 2 years and was involved in areas such as performance, preparation, psychology and recovery.
One thing that has stood out against Arsenal and Hull is how many of the players seem to be playing with fear and lacking confidence. Too often we take the easy option with a 10 yard sideways or backwards pass rather than trying something positive.
MVE is probably the most obvious example. He just does not look like the same player at the moment and seems to be playing with very little confidence.
Obviously, none of us know exactly what Roberts did day to day or how much influence she had on individual players, so I am not saying her departure is the reason for what we are seeing on the pitch, but confidence and mentality are obviously massively important at this level, and I wonder whether we have lost something since she left.
Maybe bringing in another top quality Performance Director or sports psychologist would help, particularly if some of the players are struggling with the pressure of the Premier League.
Hopefully the club is planning to replace Roberts with someone of similar quality, as that side of things could be really important this season.
