Spanish football is the antithesis of the UK style. Very technical, strict refereeing (skilled players get more protection), slow tempos etc. Spanish players are not known for their ability to adapt to the more physically demanding UK style (of course there are exceptions, Arteta, Torres, Fabregas, but these are all great, great players). I think going for Spanish strikers would be a risk, they often don't have the tough street edge background that you sometimes get with South American players (who are technically just as good if not better than their Spanish counterparts) and tend to have a hard time adapting to places with a cold climate and rough football. For every Torres or Arteta you have countless examples of players like Morientes who completely fail to adapt to the more physical style.
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Posted April 13, 2008 00:17 · last edited March 18, 2021 07:44
Spanish football is the antithesis of the UK style. Very technical, strict refereeing (skilled players get more protection), slow tempos etc. Spanish players are not known for their ability to adapt to the more physically demanding UK style (of course there are exceptions, Arteta, Torres, Fabregas, but these are all great, great players). I think going for Spanish strikers would be a risk, they often don't have the tough street edge background that you sometimes get with South American players (who are technically just as good if not better than their Spanish counterparts) and tend to have a hard time adapting to places with a cold climate and rough football. For every Torres or Arteta you have countless examples of players like Morientes who completely fail to adapt to the more physical style.