Being the best league in the world, it is hard for players in the Premier League to leave and play anywhere else. However, this is also the most competitive competition in the world, and only the very best players can survive in it.
As a result, several players leave English first-division clubs to play in other parts of the world. The most high-profile names usually end up playing elsewhere in Europe, with La Liga being quite a popular option.
Recent transfers of Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher
In the last summer transfer window, two big names left English clubs to join the La Liga side, Atletico Madrid, i.e., Julian Alvarez from Manchester City and Conor Gallagher from Chelsea. Both the leagues and the teams differ vastly in playstyle, and these players will have to adapt to a significantly different style of play with their latest moves.
Premier League vs La Liga: a clash of styles
In general, there is a significant difference in how teams play in La Liga and the Premier League. In the former, there is a greater emphasis on technique, keeping possession, and a slower and more complex build-up process characterised by a variety of passing and dribbling sequences.
On the other hand, Premier League teams are generally known to take a more physical and direct approach to their football. Thus, teams in the English top-flight usually put a greater emphasis on quick transitions, counter-attacks, and pressing.
However, individual teams differ vastly in their own style of play. For instance, teams like Manchester City and Arsenal might associate more readily with La Liga’s style of play, while Atletico Madrid may associate better with the Premier League’s style.
Julian Alvarez: adapting to La Liga
The Argentinian forward left Manchester City to join Atletico Madrid for €75 million last summer. These two teams approach their football in two fundamentally different ways.
The Citizens’ approach to football can be characterised by the term “positional play”, in which the team tries to gain an advantage in the first line with highly advanced defenders. From the defenders, the ball progresses through triangles before reaching the forwards, with almost all of the team involved in the build-up phase.
Without the ball, the team puts intense pressure on the opposition to regain the ball as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid adopt a more defensive structure, with two solid lines in the defence and the midfield accompanied by two attackers. They play more direct counter-attacking football and try to reach the opposition goal in the quickest way possible.
Thus Alvarez will have to adapt to a significantly changed playing style. However, his speed, tenacity, and pressing qualities will be appreciated by Diego Simeone as they were appreciated by Pep Guardiola.
Conor Gallagher: thriving in a new role
With Mauricio Pochettino last season, Chelsea took a similar approach to Manchester City to their football. Pochettino trained his team to press high when losing the ball in the opposition half, and to settle down into a tight line when the ball got into their own half. Similarly, he preferred short passing sequences when building up his team’s attacks.
As already mentioned, Atletico Madrid have a quite different approach to football, as they do not press with a very high line and with such high intensity, and also prefer a quicker route to the opposition goal.
However, Simeone usually tasks almost all of his team with defensive duties, and thus, Gallagher’s defensive skills will be valued highly by the Argentine coach. Furthermore, although not exactly a direct contributor to goals, Gallagher can still support the attacking line with his ability to hold the ball and win duels against opposition defenders.
Thus, both Alvarez and Gallagher will face a vastly different style of play in their new team than what they are accustomed to. But there is no doubt that both these players have the quality to adapt to a new team, even with all these differences in style of play. For now, it remains to be seen how they will perform in a new country, new league, and new team.
