Argentina defender Martin Demichelis says English football is far more aggressive than that in any European league and has likened it to the game of rugby in terms of it’s physicality.
Demichelis, 33, who plays for Manchester City, has played in the German Bundesliga and the Spanish La Liga as well as in his home country of Argentina.
He said players get away with a lot more in terms of tough challenges in the English Premier League but they are ruled with a tighter fist where it comes to cheating tactics such as diving.
“It’s obvious that the Premier League is the hardest because of how the referees allow a lot more physical contact, trying to work out the good intentions of a player when he’s trying to get the ball and not cause an injury,” he told GOAL.
The centre-back, who joined Manuel Pellegrini’s Man City in 2013 after spending all his previous playing career in Argentina and Europe, believes players in England have to be more physically robust in order to survive in the Premier League. He also feels this league is where he is most suited in the latter years as it forces him to keep playing to the best of his abilities.
“The players’ physiques are different. A kick hurts in England, in Argentina, in Spain or any place,” he said. “In that sense the league is super strong but also I understand that it’s the way the English interpret football. It’s how they were brought up.
“It’s what they like, getting kicked and getting up, whistling a player who simulates a foul or stays on the ground.”
Demichelis also made similarities between the English game of football and rugby, saying it is more like the sport than it is the football played in European leagues and further afield.
“It seems that rugby is closely related to football here. They like this game of knocks, of aggressiveness, and you can see it on the face of the fans, when they cheer and shout. It’s a way of experiencing it and it’s good.”