‘They’re virtually two completely different sports activities’ – Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri on the distinction between La Liga and the Premier League TERMAN WEBSITE

Talking solely to France Soccer, Manchester Metropolis midfielder Rodri (27) has evoked the stark distinction between the types of play within the Premier League and La Liga. 

Having come via the ranks at Atletico Madrid after which Villarreal, Rodri went on to make 97 appearances in Spain’s high flight earlier than transferring to Manchester Metropolis for a €70m charge again in 2019. Regardless of a tough preliminary adaptation, the Spaniard has gone on to grow to be a family title and one essentially the most highly-rated gamers in his place. 

He has now performed 162 video games within the Premier League, which coupled along with his understanding and studying of the sport, makes him well-placed to debate the variations between the 2 leagues. “They’re virtually two completely different sports activities,” started Spain worldwide Rodri in a wide-ranging interview with France Soccer. 

Simpler to adapt to Guardiola than to the Premier League – Rodri

He added, “The hot button is understanding the rhythm. In La Liga, you’ll be able to’t play on the similar rhythm as within the Premier League, as a result of your teammates gained’t comply with you and also you’ll isolate your self with the ball. In Spain, it’s affected person and tactical; the groups know extra about what they wish to do with the ball. In England, soccer is extra a query of depth. I bear in mind my debut towards West Ham. I didn’t have half a second to assume and I already had an opponent on me. I wanted to study to assume faster, to carry off gamers to maintain maintain of the ball. I additionally needed to study to lose the ball as little as attainable as a result of right here, with the velocity of the opponents, the attacking hazard of the groups, the person skills punish you greater than in Spain.”

Rodri added that he wanted “much less time” to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s model of play, which some gamers wrestle to stick to at first, than to the Premier League. “Maybe due to my footballing training in Spain, I wanted much less time to grasp Pep’s recreation than the Premier League,” he mentioned. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle