London, Tuesday 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits players will have to find motivation without the urgency provided by fans when the Premier League restarts on Wednesday.

Arteta’s side will feature in the second game of the Premier League relaunch when they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, just hours after the opener between Aston Villa and Sheffield United.

The remaining 92 top-flight matches will all be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus.

Having watched Germany’s Bundesliga return without fans on television before experiencing the situation himself last week during friendlies, Arteta is aware of the challenges.

He believes it will be hard for some players to display their usual intensity because they will not have the energy of a full stadium to feed off.

“When I was at the Emirates and there was no crowd, you cannot feel that energy, push or drive,” Arteta told reporters in a video press conference on Monday.

“The game is different. The intensity drops a little bit. That urgency from the crowd doesn’t exist anymore, how passionate the crowds are in England.

We have to adapt. We have to experience it. We have to find ways to motivate our players as well in moments.”

Like most managers, Arteta has concerns about the fitness of his players after they were forced to work out on their own before the gradual return to organised training.

‘Ready to compete’ 

With the rest of this season being crammed into just six weeks, Arteta has told his players to forget the unusual circumstances and embrace their return to action.

“We try to make the best of it. Don’t try to make any excuses, go for it and enjoy because I think we are all missing football so much,” he said. -AFP