No late comebacks and no energy? Ex-Liverpool and Leicester star Emile Heskey concerned about games with no fans when Premier League restarts
Emile Heskey fears Premier League games could lose their energy and stars may not be motivated to play at their best when the season resumes later this month.
The former Liverpool and Leicester City striker has told talkSPORT players will be facing a major mental battle to get fully up for games when the 2019/20 campaign gets back under way from its hiatus on June 17.
Players have only just returned to full contact training having got the green light to do so at the end of last week, and matches will be getting back under way in less than two weeks’ time.
The 20 top-flight clubs are now trying desperately to get their players back in competitive game scenarios before then, with Liverpool taking their team to Anfield for an 11 vs 11 match on Monday, while Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is planning to do the same.
West Ham have even got in touch with Arsenal and Crystal Palace to try and organise friendly games between their London rivals before the campaign restarts.
But it’s not only the match fitness of the players that’s a concern, with many supporters fearing games will lose their intensity when they are played in empty stadiums.
There’s little doubt players turn up for the occasion, and Heskey admits it will be tough for them without the atmosphere usually created when stands are packed with fans.
“It’s going to be tough getting back, we’ve seen in the Bundesliga there have been some really high scores,” the former England international told Thursday's talkSPORT Breakfast.
“This is a difficult time. The training hasn’t been normal; players haven’t really been able to get the game time they want for preparation to really start.
“It’s going to be interesting to see who is ready.
“Sometimes matches behind closed doors can look like a training ground game, that’s what I don’t like.”
Heskey revealed the impact having supporters behind you in the stadiums can have on players on the pitch.
The striker explained Leicester fans helped the team secure one of the most memorable results in his career during his spell for the Foxes – when they managed an incredible late comeback against Arsenal in 1997, after a certain Dennis Bergkamp scored a stunning hat-trick.
Heskey, who also found the net that day, said: “I recently looked back on one of my Leicester games, 3-3 against Arsenal.
“After 90 minutes it was 2-1 to Arsenal, and we ended up drawing the game 3-3.
“Now, with no fans in the stadium, are you really going to have a go and really push for that last three, four or five minutes of extra-time?
“Possibly not.
“I was a pundit for the England vs Croatia game behind closed doors in Croatia and that was just weird, it was alike a training ground game.
“They are tough games to play. It’s going to be really, really tough mentally for certain teams.
“It shouldn’t be for those teams that are trying to get themselves out of a quagmire they’ve got themselves in, but if you’ve got nothing to play for it’s going to be really tough for you.”