Ronnie O’Sullivan put off calling upon Dr Steve Peters during his last-16 match against Joe Perry until the final morning because he recognised the importance of the work the sports psychiatrist was doing with Liverpool, attempting to win the Premier League for the first time.
So you can only wonder what is going to happen this week, with the demands on the mind management guru and his high-profile clientele reaching breaking point. Liverpool’s demoralising home defeat to Chelsea on Sunday tossed the title initiative away and would have been especially hard on captain Steven Gerrard who blundered badly for the Blues’ opening goal.
O’Sullivan will have a Crucible quarter-final on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Brendan Rodgers’ team will need picking off the floor with their destiny no longer in their own hands after 24 years chasing the dream.
Where will the renowned Peters be spending his week? Some shuttling between Sheffield and Merseyside seems the most likely.