English clubs are tactically inferior to their European
rivals.
Patrice Evra says English clubs struggle in Europe due to a lack
of tactical sophistication and claims he was not worried when
Juventus faced Manchester City in the Champions League.
The French full-back spent eight years in England with
Manchester United, winning the Champions League and
reaching the final twice.
He left Old Trafford for Juve in July 2014, winning Serie A in his
first season and appearing in another European final, losing the
tournament's decider to personal nemeses Barcelona for the
third time in his career.
After strong continental showings between 2005 and 2011,
Premier League clubs have struggled to make an impact in
recent years.
And Evra has told the Sunday Times he believes English teams
are not preparing thoroughly enough to be successful in the
Champions League.
"I'm a little bit worried about English football," he said.
"Why? In Europe, being fast, being strong, playing only with your
quality, you are going to struggle against teams that prepare.
That is where England has to work, it is about tactics. But it is
not easy, because the players won't accept it.
"When Juventus played Manchester City … I was not worried,"
he added, referring to a clash the Italian side won 2-1 at the
Eithad Stadium in September.
The 34-year-old also claimed he was surprised to discover how
strategic the approach to winning is in Italy, something he feels
could have been of benefit to United even as they collected an
extraordinary haul of silverware under former manager Alex
Ferguson.
"I learnt a lot about a way to be more professional - even if I was
already a massive professional in Manchester," he said.
"I was sometimes thinking, 'You win a lot of trophies for
Manchester but you could have done much more if you had
known the Italian way to play.'
"The Premier League is like two boxers fighting. The one who is
least strong gets tired, he goes down. Here it is like a chess
game and you have to understand every move before you play
with your quality, your strength, your skill. That's the
difference."
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