Why Haven’t More Spanish Players Been Successful in the EPL?

Why Haven’t More Spanish Players Been Successful in the EPL?

On the surface it is something of a conundrum. For years now Spain have produced some of the best players on the planet. During that time, the EPL has risen to prominence as, if not the best league in the world, then certainly in the top two. Regardless of your opinion on the status of the EPL, it is an unquestionable truth that England’s top tier has attracted the world’s elite footballers. Those players have arrived from every corner of the globe, but though there have certainly been Spanish players in the EPL, successful ones at that, there have not been anywhere near as many as you would expect. So why is that?

The Type of Football

Traditionally the style of football played in the EPL was at the other end of the spectrum than that in Spain. It was faster, less technical, more aggressive. Blood and thunder. Spain tended to develop smaller, gifted, but less physically strong players, ones that just did not seem suited for the physical exploits needed in England. That has changed somewhat of late, and ironically Pep Guardiola has had a lot to do with that change, but the pace and ferocity of the game is still on another scale to any other league, and is why it attracts such a worldwide following.

The sheer number of games, and how quickly they come in the EPL is another factor. The nature of the fixture list is both relentless and well documented, especially over the winter period when those players from sunnier climes would be dearly wishing for a break.

La Liga

The debate about which is the best league in the world is one that will rage on and on, but the one that is vying for that title with the EPL is La Liga. If Spain’s domestic league was on a level (and no disrespect is meant by this) with Ligue 1 then there would be a lot more motivation for Spain’s homegrown players to fly the nest. La Liga was attracting as good a roster of world players as the EPL, and it provided a competitive league that would give players a very real chance of not just competing in the Champions League, but of winning it.

The Climate

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Signing for a new club involves a lot more than just a change of shirt. For many players it involves moving their family to a new country, a new way of life. The biggest clubs in Spain come from cities that enjoy an enviable climate, and the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with that. In recent years, the biggest and most successful clubs in England (with the exception of Chelsea and before that Arsenal) all come from the Northwest. For those that do not know the Northwest of England, it is not known for its sunny, warm weather. It is very wet, and if you are used to a Mediterranean climate, it is also cold.

Lack of Success Stories

When deciding to make that huge move to a new club, league and country, it helps if you have someone in your shoes who has done it before, and has found success. Yes there are examples of Spanish players having phenomenal success in the EPL, but there are not loads of them, and even those who have, many left in far from happy circumstances. Fernando Torres for example enjoyed incredible success at Liverpool, but he just could not replicate that at Chelsea and that experience affected his subsequent career. Diego Costa also left Chelsea under a cloud and even the likes of David De Gea, winner of more player of the season awards than any other keeper at Manchester United has had times when he has been desperate to leave, and others when he was not in the first team.

There is a combination of factors, and some are changing, changes that will only accelerate as more Spanish managers coach in the EPL. It also goes both ways. There may not have been many Spanish players in the EPL, but the number vastly outweighs the number of English players who have graced La Liga.