The co-ordinator of the Villarreal CF psychology department underlines the importance of sports psychology

Villarreal CF has been a synonym of sports psychology since 2007. Edu Morelló, psychology co-ordinator department, underlines the positive impact that it has on the players: “For us, the all-round formation and training of players is very important. We don’t just say that, but we have implemented actions to work like that.” Morelló also explains how Villarreal work: “All of the coaches have basic training in sports psychology. Something that makes us different is that we have a psychologist as part of the coaching staff in each team, so we look at the players’ mental health as part of the daily routine. All of this work is done naturally.”

The psychologist underlined the keys to this methodology working: “There’s a way of training psychological elements from a very young age, which is working with coaches so the actions and resources they have are what the athletes need, helping them know that there are certain variants that are easy for them to have more control over, such as breathing, where they decide to play the ball, and there are others, a lot, which they can’t control. We have to help them focus on things they can control.” The work carried out in the academy at the Training Ground is hugely important: “We try and provide them with the best environment for them to develop as well as possible in every aspect of their life, including football.”