Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport
Former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo has said: “the best players have been in Spain, but in terms of organisation, the Premier League has no comparison” ahead of City’s clash with Real Madrid.
Former Spanish international Negredo, 34, made the comments in an interview with Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ where he reminisced on his time in the Premier League.
When speaking about his first year at Manchester City in 2013, Negredo said: “I arrived and we became champions of the Premier League and the cup.
“I was on a cloud, very happy and I grew a lot as a football player that year because of the rhythm of competition and the fact that anyone can beat you. We did very well that season and barely lost any matches. It was a nice year.”
When asked to compare Spanish ‘tiki-taka’ passing style with a more direct game he said: “As a striker that hasn’t normally played with clubs that do ‘tiki-taka’, I prefer the direct game.
“But it is clear that if you have players of a certain profile, ‘tiki-taka’ gives good results. At this moment, Barcelona dominates this style of play.”
The striker went on to compare the Premier League and La Liga after playing some years in both saying: “They are different. For me, the best players have been in Spain.
“But in organisation and the rest, the Premier League has no comparison with La Liga. They are better-prepared in everything.
“Especially when it comes to benefit the fans who are the ones who move everything in the end.”
When speaking about City’s recent two-year ban from participating in European competitions after breaking financial fair play rules he said: “It’s a tough sanction, let’s see how it affects the future.”
Adding that:“It is a problem for the next seasons. The big players want to be in the Champions League and maybe now they will leave. It could get Manchester (City) into problems.”
He went on to talk about City’s clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 set to take place tomorrow (Wednesday).
He said: “It is a very very important match. They are two great clubs with two great managers. We will see what happens at that moment.
“It is true that maybe City has had a streak that is not too great but let’s hope that it is a good match for football. May the best win. I could not lean to one club or another.
“It is true that Real Madrid has a gift in the Champions League. They have that spark over their rivals to win elimination matches and that is shown in the number of titles they have.”
Negredo currently plays for United Arab Emirates side Al-Nasr SC where he won the UAE Cup this season and has scored five goals in 14 appearances.
He has played in clubs such as Middlesbrough, Real Madrid Valencia and Sevilla and also helped Spain win their last UEFA European Championship in 2012.
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