One can’t explain Liverpool’s improbable rise in 2013-14 without mentioning Dr. Steve Peters.
Peters, Liverpool FC’s sports psychiatrist, is often credited with helping manager Brendan Rodgers instill a winning mentality into the squad.
Peters works with Liverpool players — primarily on an individual basis — to help them cope with the pressure that comes with playing for such a big club.
“I work with them to manage their emotions, their skills and their minds to help them manage performance,” Peters told the Liverpool Echo. “I do what I do with anyone else which is to ask them where they feel there are areas for improvement.”
Having previously worked with Peters on his own, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard introduced the well-known sports psychiatrist to Rodgers and helped persuade him to join the Reds’ coaching staff.
“I was a little reluctant, football is not an area I know, and I wasn’t sure I could help,” Peters added. “But finally I did agree, as Steven is a very genuine person.
“When I met Brendan Rodgers I thought he was an amazing man; very insightful, very open, very relaxed.”
Once on staff, Peters helped the Reds achieve a level of consistency which eluded them in prior campaigns. Peters’ positive influence on Liverpool’s psyche helped the shoot from seventh to second place in the Premier League standings without spending large sums in the transfer market.
Although Liverpool fell short in its quest for a title, Peters thinks there is much more to come from Rodgers’ group.
“They have had their best season for 24 years, and my own belief is that it is the start of a golden era for the club,” Peters said. “They have established themselves as a team before the best, and winning the league again will be just a matter of time.”
Photo via Twitter/@LiverbirdPenang
