‘Tension is high’ – Sky pundit suggests Leeds set to lose what ‘makes the team supercharged’
Matthew Upson has admitted there are advantages and disadvantages to Leeds United playing their remaining home games at an empty Elland Road.
Leeds resume their Championship campaign on Sunday with a trip to Cardiff and a week later they host Fulham in West Yorkshire.
No fans will be allowed to attend any of Leeds’ remaining nine fixtures, and there have been some suggestions that this could alleviate some of the pressure in what is already bound to be a tense run-in for the Whites.
However, ex-England and West Ham defender Upson believes that the lack of fans could have the opposite impact as the Elland Road support usually powers up the Leeds players.
“Promotion to the Premier League is the most lucrative gain in football,” Upson said on Sky Sports News on Wednesday [11:26pm].
“Of course the tension is high and the pressure is high.
“The home support brings a lot to Leeds. It makes the team supercharged and I’m sure it helps the intensity of the players but also, what comes with that is the pressure.
“It’s going to be interesting to see whether or not they can perform better in a quiet stadium but you can’t underplay how important the supporters are and I really feel they bring an edge to the team.”
It is definitely something that can go either way.
Leeds fans, as passionate as they are, can get on the back of certain players if they’re not meeting expectations at times and there could be a benefit to that not happening. But that could be the pressure some players need for them to be able to thrive.
In an empty stadium, some players might be able to focus as well while others might miss the encouragement the crowd offers.
One thing’s for sure and that is that it’s going to be strange for the players to play in an empty stadium and even more strange for fans to be sat at home watching a quiet Elland Road host a match as big as Leeds versus Fulham next week.
We watched the first Premier League games and while it took Man City 15 minutes to get into their stride, once they did they looked back to their imperious best.
They don’t have the same support as Leeds do but if they can do it, we’re sure our players can.
In other Leeds United news, Luke Ayling has been blown away by this national news story.