Manchester City

Eliaquim Mangala: 'It is hard to adapt to English football'

By Simon Sinclair, Reporter | 20 December 2014

Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala reveals that he has had a hard time adapting to English football following a string of high-profile mistakes.

Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala has admitted that he has had a tough time adjusting to the style of football in England.

The 23-year-old moved to Manuel Pellegrini's side from Porto in the summer in a deal worth £32m, and was thrown straight into action against Chelsea, where he impressed against Jose Mourinho's side.

However, Mangala endured a miserable afternoon against Hull City as he made several errors as he scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in his side's 4-2 win, while he was also sent off in his side's clash Southampton.

He told the Daily Mail: "I would say that playing against Chelsea back at the start wasn't particularly a typical English game, it's the sort of football I'm more used to. Roma, too, in the Champions League was a different style of football to the Premier League, so that was okay.

"But I must emphasise I'm still going through a settling-in period so coming up against teams like Hull and Palace this weekend and facing that typical English style, where it's a long ball, high balls, balls in the air, big physical battles, fighting for every ball, that is the stuff I'm going to take longer to get used to.

"Maybe that's harder for me than games against the big teams at the moment. I will improve and I will cope with that, but it's all about taking it stage by stage What I have got to aim at is consistency and having a good game every game rather than in-and-out performances. I am confident that will happen."

Mangala is expected to play for City in their game against Crystal Palace later today.