Saul Niguez has not had the most straightforward adjustment to the Premier League. In fact, he’s probably found it a lot tougher than he anticipated.
Premier League fans already know how aggressive and fast-paced football is in England. I guess it was an eye-opener for the Spaniard.
Despite the differences in Premier League football and La Liga, many still expected Saul to adapt to the league a lot easier than this. He’s faced a high pressing, physical Liverpool side and came out victorious. It was weird to see his entire skill set become undone in a couple of matches as a Chelsea player.
However, on the other end of the spectrum, Chelsea hall of Famer, Eden Hazard, has struggled in La Liga, and Saul doesn’t sound too surprised.
Every league has its niche. For Saul, La Liga has a tactical edge, whereas the Premier League thrives through physical presence. In a recent interview via the Chelsea FC official website, Saul details the differences. He says,
“They are totally different. Over there [la liga], it’s much more tactical, whereas here, it’s more physical and a bit crazier.
There’s more back and forth. It’s less about having control of the game and more about entertaining the fans. You can do things here that you really can’t do in La Liga.”
To be fair, he makes a fair point. Without control in a Premier League game, you’d end up seeing more end-to-end football. It’s a little more exciting that way but, to win a match easier, having control is key.
I agreed with Saul until he mentioned the Eden Hazard saga at Real Madrid. Whilst acknowledging the former Chelsea Talisman’s status as one of the best in the world, he also gives a questionable analysis.
He speaks on the differences between Hazard’s game in England and why it doesn’t work for him in Spain. Pointing specifically in the direction of the Belgians success in 1v1 situations, he detects a flaw.
“in La Liga, because everyone knows how good his team is and how good he is, other teams make it much more difficult for him.”
I’d attest to Hazard’s difficulty adapting to La Liga to his unfortunate run of injuries. I’m not entirely sure that the lack of 1v1s is a reason he is struggling. His best attribute was drawing out players in a low block and beating his man.
He’s been in many situations where Chelsea was the better team than their opponent and has been a catalyst in breaking down low blocks. He also excelled despite the consistent fouls made on him and his poor ankles.
There may be something in La Liga that I may not see. While I agree that it is more tactical and a paradise for showing off your skills, I believe that would be better suited for a player like Hazard. A league where the beautiful game matters.
Lastly, in depicting Saul’s informative interview, he made a statement that may prove costly in his remaining time at Chelsea. Though he admitted to struggling with the differences in football regimes, he also says,
“I think it’s a bit easier to adapt from La Liga to the Premier League than from the Premier League to La Liga.”
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. There is no true answer to which league is easier to adapt to. However, I hope to see the best of Saul for the next few months. Hopefully, he has been able to grasp the physicality of the Premier League, and his best days are yet to come.
Make sure you have subscribed to CareFree Chelsea on YouTube! The Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Chelsea content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews. You can follow Anita Abayomi from the CareFreeChelsea team to keep up to date with her work. If you enjoyed reading this then give her other articles a read below.
