The Palace left-back, speaking on the On the Judy podcast, discussed his pre-match research before taking on world-class wingers each weekend. One player stood out as the toughest.
“This season, I would probably say [Hakim] Ziyech,” he said. “He was doing loads, especially in the first-half. It was a long first-half.
“To be fair, with most [players] you know them from watching it on TV. They are guys that you watch in the Champions League, so I kind of know certain [players] are going to be skilful, blah blah…
“But if I know someone that knows them, I’ll ask them about them. So Jairo [Riedewald] played with [Ziyech] at Ajax, so I’ll ask him: ‘What is he like?’
“It’s trying to get a rough idea before the game. You have to, man – these guys are dangerous!”
As well as potential opponents, Mitchell looks to players that have been in his position for inspiration as he continues to develop.
“I’ve been watching [Nathaniel] Clyne since he was young,” he says. “Seeing Aaron Wan-Bissaka when he was at Palace [too].
“These guys are inspirations, especially since I’ve been at Palace. Having a career like Clyney is something that loads of young full-backs would want.”
Just like Clyne, Mitchell can now add an international cap to his list of achievements, after being called up to the England squad by former Palace captain Gareth Southgate.
“It’s mad, because all the videos you watch… you know the behind-the-scenes on the England channel? Whenever there’s an England camp on, everyone watches that,” he explains. “As soon as there’s a camp on, you’re just waiting for training clips.
“So when I was going, it was really mad. To be fair, I didn’t want to think about it too much because then you don’t get disappointed if it doesn’t happen.
“I just let it float in the air, and then when it was actually real that’s when I said: ‘Yeah, calm’.”
Despite it being his first time joining up with the national team, Mitchell learned a great deal from his time at St George’s Park.
“I tried to do the same things,” he said. “That’s what gives you your confidence. I was already nervous, so I just tried to keep my composure by doing the same.
“When you’re at your club, because you’re there all the time, there might be training sessions that you may take your foot off the pedal. But when you’re there you know that you’ve [only] got a week to show yourself.
“Everyone there is trying to show themselves. I took from that: be on it 24/7. That’s the biggest part. These guys, even if they’re doing a little training session against no one, everything is sharp. Everyone’s passing is sharp, everyone’s moving sharp.”
With the World Cup in Qatar fast approaching, can Mitchell force his way into the travelling party?
“I’m just trying to focus on what’s in front of me,” he says with a wry smile. “If I can get that right, then who knows…”
Watch the full episode of the podcast on YouTube or listen on Spotify.