New Delhi: “It’s coming home” or is it? Emile Heskey believes it’s better not to drum up excessive hype for England regarding Euro 2020.

Part of England’s failed campaigns in two Fifa World Cups (2002 and 2010) and a Uefa European Championship (2004), he knows a thing or two about dashed hopes and how hard they are to deal with emotionally.

Optimistic internet memes and media chatter inevitably make England ‘pre-tournament favourites’ in any major football competition.

Their unlikely run to the semifinals in the 2018 World Cup in Russia prompted English fans to adopt the song as anthem, created by British rock band The Lightning Seeds in 1966, ironically the year they last tasted international at the senior level.

Even coach Gareth Southgate wasn’t immune to it. His sartorial judgement of wearing a waistcoat with the words “It’s coming home” emblazoned on it garnered considerable scrutiny.

Considering their history of heartbreaks, Heskey said it would be prudent for England to adopt a more outwardly pessimistic yet inwardly hopeful psyche at Euro, a tournament where their best performance remain reaching the semi-finals (twice, 1968, 1996).

“We as England look to put pressure on our national team. But as we saw when we don’t put much pressure on the team they went as far as the World Cup semifinals,” Heskey told to a query from Sports Lounge on Thursday.

“We got to be the same again. Definitely, over the years we have seen teams like Greece winning it. No one ever thought they would. So why not?” he said at an event to promote LFC World roadshow, to be held in India on Saturday.

Setting small targets without forgetting the larger goal would help England produce a similar performance as they did in Russia, the former Liverpool striker said.

“Just as same as everyone else. All teams will look to win it. Just got to take one match at a time,” the 42-year-old opined.

🚨 The ticket resale window is open! 🚨 🎟️ Tickets on sale NOW via the official resale platform 🎟️ — UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) March 4, 2020

Heskey might be a tad apprehensive about England’s chances at Euro 2020 but didn’t bat an eyelid while lavishing praise on runaway English Premier League (EPL) leaders Liverpool. Not even a recent run of three consecutive losses makes the 62 times capped former international worried.

“Every team has ups and downs in a season. The important thing is to overturn that dip in form and I don’t see why Liverpool can’t do it as mentally (Jurgen) Klopp’s team is second to none,” Heskey said, while stating that he would have fancied a striking partnership with the “pacy” Sadio Mane.

Fellow former Liverpool player Jason McAteer believes the Reds are reaping the rewards of the shift in mentality that manager Klopp has imbibed within players.

“Klopp’s success is instilling a winning mentality after building up a formidable squad. He is astute tactically too and has improved the performance of players individually.

But his prime contribution is to push a bunch of talented players mentally towards winning trophies,” McAteer said.

Liverpool’s bid to emulate and better Arsenal’s 49-match unbeaten EPL streak might have ended in their 44th game but they should now aim for continental dominance, after winning the Uefa Champions League last season.

“I didn’t think Liverpool could go the season unbeaten like Arsenal since the competition in the Premier League is stronger now than in 2003-04,” McAteer observed.

“Liverpool are getting to finals of European competitions and it is not easy. Particularly when you look at teams like Paris Saint Germain (PSG) putting in a lot of money but unable to reach the title round. So Liverpool have been consistent in that sense,” Heskey said.