Chelsea left-back Filipe Luis has revealed the real difference between the Premier League and La Liga is the determination of the players, insisting that playing in England is far more difficult than it is in Spain, according to ESPN.
Luis joined the Blues from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid over the summer and he looks as though he may be in store for a second consecutive league title, as Chelsea remain unbeaten after 12 Premier League games and top the table.
The Brazil international has spoken out about the differences between the two clubs and the two leagues, claiming that players in England do not give up like they do in Spain, meaning he has to concentrate a lot more than he had to for Atletico.
“At Atletico Madrid we used to work on the defensive part [of the game] a lot,” he said.
“We used to play a very clear system that was based on the counter-attack. We used to try to be very close, with Diego Costa ahead. So we tried to steal the ball and tried to counter-attack.
“Only when we played against small teams would we change our plan, as they used to give us more chances. But I used to have a lot of opportunities to attack at Atletico.”
The left-back moved to Stamford Bridge for £16 million during the summer, half the fee of his teammate Costa, who also swapped Madrid for west London and has been in electrifying form for the Blues.
Luis has found his chances hard to come by in the Premier League, due to the form of Cesar Azpilicueta, but he has claimed the league is far more difficult than the one in Spain, due to the calibre of players each team has.
“In the Premier League, it is much more difficult. The other team’s wingers are always very fast and powerful, it is very complicated,” he said.
“The biggest difference between the Premier League and La Liga is that the players don’t give up. If the score is 2-0 at 87 minutes, they don’t quit.
“They run until the last minute, so you always have to be concentrating. It has been a very good school for me and I am improving a lot.
“Not only [playing in] the Premier League but also [playing under] Jose Mourinho. I am very happy about improving myself.”
