Brentford’s Mark Flekken believes that working with a mental coach helped him rediscover his “true self” after a challenging start to life in west London.

Flekken highlighted Joachim Andersen’s equalising goal during the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in August as a low point as he tried to adjust to the demands of the Premier League. And it was during this period that his agent, having recognised that the goalkeeper needed some additional help, introduced him to Joost Leenders.

Leenders is Ajax’s mental coach and has provided other Dutch internationals with advice on a one-to-one basis, including Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst.

Flekken recalled: “The 1-1 equalising goal against Crystal Palace that slipped through my legs, I remember walking off the pitch thinking, ‘What the f*** just happened?’. That should have been my game.

“I had that feeling coming off the pitch, knowing it shouldn’t have happened and that during the two years before in the Bundesliga I would have never made that mistake.

“That basic thing of closing your legs because from that tight angle, there was nowhere for him [Andersen] to go. Those small things added up.

“So, I had a few meetings with him [Leenders], in person and online because he lives in the Netherlands, and that helped me become my true self on the pitch.”

Flekken continued: “I believe I have a very strong mindset - I have lived through a lot of ups and downs in my career to know what is important for me - but during those first six months I just hit a roof.

“Luckily my agent saw that I could not get through that roof by myself. He’s not just my agent any more, he is a close friend. I have been working with him since 2010, so he knows me inside and out. That makes it easier to take criticism from him.

“He came with a brilliant idea in that moment because I could not see it. ‘I’m mentally strong,’ I would tell myself. ‘I can get through this. Keep going, keep going, keep going.’ He broke that wall down and helped me to get on top of my mental struggles.”

Flekken was a central figure for Freiburg. No goalkeeper kept more clean sheets than the Netherlands international across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons combined (23) and he was one of only six players to play every minute in the German top flight during his final campaign.

Having had five years to prove himself and grow into a leadership role with his previous club, Flekken admitted that finding his place in Brentford’s dressing room proved to be a difficult challenge.

“In Freiburg I had developed myself to be a leader on the pitch. I’m not a very big speaker, but I am a true believer of leading by example and earning respect,” he said.

“That was my way in Freiburg. I had gone in there as a second goalkeeper, and I had to earn my place and earn the respect of my team-mates. That naturally developed over the years and people listened to me.

“Going from that situation into a new team with other dynamics was a big change for me. We talked with each other [Flekken and Joost Leenders] and he made a scan of my personality.

“He came with tips to look for conversations with the other players: ‘What do you need from me? What can I expect from you?’.

“It was not easy at the start. How are you going to start those conversations after four months of not being able to show that 100 per cent true performance? But at some point, I just decided to do it.”

Flekken added: “Those tiny little bits – and he had a few more of those things - helped me get back to the leader I know I can be. Those little things helped me get on top of everything.

“That led to the point when we played away against Tottenham, which was the first time I walked off the pitch after the game and said to Manu [Sotelo]: ‘Hey, this is me. I am my true self.’

"Tottenham and Man City changed the season for me. All of the pieces of the puzzle fitted together."