Latino Techno

Published : Sep 08, 2012 00:00 IST

The Latin influx in the EPL is ever more prominent this season with the likes of Oscar (Chelsea), Angelo Henriquez (Manchester United) and M. Boselli (Wigan) joining the party.

Contrary to earlier notions about the South Americans’ antipathy to the drab English life and weather, preferring the sun-kissed, more ‘bohemian’ mainland Europe to it, more Latinos are plying their trade at almost every level of the English game.

Earlier, players like Juan Sebastian Veron (Man United), Diego Forlan (Man United), Jared Borghetti (Bolton) and Hernan Crespo (Chelsea), despite being the leading lights at home and elsewhere in Europe failed to ignite in England and were unjustly branded as South American duds.

It’s a different story now!

The match between Liverpool and Manchester City, in many ways was also a battle of Copa supremacy. Two of the legends from the region, Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Argentine Carlos Tevez were leading the charge for respective clubs.

Honours were shared in this battle, too, as both found the net. While Tevez’s goal made all the right noises about a striker’s opportunism, Suarez’s carving effort was an exhibition of sublime skill which probably only the magicians from the dusty roads of the Montevideo, Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires could conjure.

The introduction of the South Americans has at last brought some heart to the English game with sides changing tactics — veering away from traditional English long balls to a more flowing, passing game — to suit the style of the mega-buck acquisitions. While sleak-passing Swansea was a revelation last season in the otherwise predictable setup, bigger teams like Liverpool and Chelsea, are trying to imbibe that culture, this year round. This change in tactics is surely going to make the Premier League a whole lot more attractive.

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