The Spanish Premier League

Two years ago with the Financial Crisis in full swing I predicted that Spanish players would soon be making an exodus for foreign shores. It is happening. At different times in the past many stayed at home for family reasons or an inability to adapt to a new culture, a different language or an unfamiliar cuisine. The case of José Antonio Reyes playing at Arsenal and living with his Mom who cooked Andalusian cuisine for him because he was home-sick is now the exception and not the rule.  

David de Gea may have been a virtual liability in the rough and tumble Premier League, but this is a kid who stormed to become the number one keeper at Atletico Madrid beating not only two other keepers in Atléti´s youth-team but was more reliable than Roberto or Sergio Asenjo who were already on the books. It was an adjustment year last year at Old Trafford, and the kid looked over-matched physically at times, had difficulty communicating with his defense (obviously) but there is no question he can succeed in England.

Across town, David Silva has been a revelation. He is arguably their best player if not certainly their most creative. Are we surprised that his representatives are trying to get his 130,000 pound a week raised to the level of what Touré Yaya or Carlos Tevez are making? The knee-jerk reaction is that none of them deserve it, and I agree with that on a gut-level, but Silva is a difference maker. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque describes the Canarian playmaker as Spain´s answer to Lionel Messi. That´s an exaggeration, but he is definitely a player with the creativity of Iniesta, the intelligence of Xavi and the steel of Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea´s Juan Mata was another in the conveyor belt at Mestalla. David Villa, Silva, and Mata played together in an attack that was formidable against any other team in Europe. What people forget though is that Mata could just as easily have been plying their trade at the Bernabeu. He was an integral member of the Real Madrid Castilla squad coached by current Sevilla coach Michel. His team-mates included Esteban Granero and José Callejon both now at Real Madrid, Álvaro Negredo of Sevilla and Borja Valero who plays for Fiorentina. That youth team were stacked with professional prospects. They were relegated to the Segunda-B, Spain´s third division, and the players were dispersed, a shape of things to come.

These are just a few of the gems that Spanish football has produced for the English audience. Some clubs like Newcastle or Sunderland have gone in for few Spanish players or one´s like the latter´s Carlos Cuellar who made their name in the British isle; players like José Enriquez or Pepe Reina of Liverpool, or Arsenal´s Mikel Arteta.
Other clubs like Wigan or Swansea have invested heavily in numbers, thrilled by the diversity and technique but mainly by the price for such rare quality, and the legacy that coaches like Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rogers and Michael Laudrup have brought to those two clubs.

This year we have seen two new players especially shine since joining their respective clubs. One is a highly decorated and versatile midfielder with the leadership skills to be a real captain for Arsenal for many years to come. Santi Cazorla was the pearl of the Villarreal academy who went on to bigger and better things, but Miguel Pérez Cuesta (Michu) seemed to have come out of nowhere. He didn´t. He may have struggled to get attention, but Michu scored 15 goals last season, joint ninth on the scoring table. He had four braces including one in a losing effort at the Santiago Bernabéu. Rayo Vallecano only scored 52 goals the whole season and all of this coming from a guy who played behind Diego Costa as the middle attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. Anyone who saw him last season should not be surprised at his talent, but what is shocking is how quickly he has taken to the English game.

It is still early in the process. There are many English sides with no Spanish presence at all, but that will continue to change. There are very good players like Alvaro Dominguez, Escudero and Jurado in Germany. Jeffren and Diego Capel are in Portugal. Defender Cesar Azpilicueta is at Marseilles in France and players like Keko, Borja Valero and Bojan Krcic are in Italy. All of them can be had for a song, better buys certainly than either Javi Martinez or Fernando Llorente.

Ones to watch: midfielder Oriol Romeu of Chelsea. He should get plenty of playing time with Chelsea in all competitions. Oh, and watch for a winger at Albert Crusat. He´s not a new face but if he can stay healthy he is an exciting little winger