It is perhaps just as well that Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum is using her spare time to complete a psychology degree.
Arsenal have needed to show plenty of mental strength this season and will be forced to do so again on Sunday when they travel to Wolfsburg for the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final tie.
The Gunners have been hit by injuries throughout this campaign, losing Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and most recently England captain Leah Williamson to season-ending knee injuries.
Captain Kim Little will also miss the rest of the campaign due to a hamstring problem and Arsenal’s squad is being stretched like never before.
“It’s important now that we stick together and work hard as a team to try to take more responsibility on the pitch,” Maanum tells Standard Sport.
“The psychology part of football has always been interesting for me. To perform week in, week out is not just technical and physical ability, it’s also the mental ability. That’s why I started studying.
“My mum was always trying to teach me stuff when I was younger. I started doing that quite early when I was younger just to prime myself that we have to perform every game.”
As part of her preparation for games, Maanum uses the technique of visualisation, mentally playing out the match in her head before stepping onto the field.
“Sometimes I watch back clips from other games and try to put pictures in my head - where do actions happen,” she says. “It helps to get in the zone and to be able to perform, to get into habits.”
The midfielder, however, did not foresee her stunning goal against Bayern Munich in the last round, which set Arsenal on their way to a 2-0 win and a first Champions League semi-final for a decade. It was a goal that went viral on social media, with Maanum finishing off a slick move by lashing the ball into the top corner from outside the box.
You can really feel it’s a one-club mentality at Arsenal
“I would say it is probably the best goal I have scored,” she says. “I had a lot of texts, I would say probably hundreds. Most of my friends were sending it to me all the time.
“It is probably one of those moments where you don’t realise what you are doing, you just hit the ball at the right time and it goes in the back of the net. You don’t really practice those finishes.”
The goal was Maanum’s 14th of the season and she is excelling as Arsenal’s No10 in the absence of Miedema. It is a position the 23-year-old played in her youth and she is now taking inspiration from Arsenal’s other Norwegian No10, men’s captain Martin Odegaard.
“I think he is very good in that position,” says Maanum. “He plays probably more as a No10/No8, but he is so good at getting in the pockets - which is where I want to be as well - being behind their midfield and creating chances and scoring goals from there. He is a good idol in that sense.
“He is a nice guy. We speak a bit in the gym when we see them. You can really feel it’s a one-club mentality.”
Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Wolfsburg last season, losing 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, and Maanum says they are out for revenge.
The midfielder believes the squad have developed during their second season under head coach Jonas Eidevall, while they will also be backed by a huge crowd in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on May 1. As of Friday, the Gunners have sold just over 45,000 tickets but they are hoping that number will increase.
“I get energy from the people in the stands,” says Maanum. “It’s so amazing and I feel like we all play for the supporters in the stands. I think you’ll see that in the semi-finals. I think it is a team now that wants revenge from last season.”
