It may be an old way of thinking, but there’s no denying, football in England is more physical than everywhere else.
The English game demands more from players, party down to the style some teams play but mostly due to the demanding schedule it works under.
There’s plenty of players who’ve played in Europe and discovered this and former Norwich City defender Marcel Franke is among them.
Franke joined Norwich back in 2017 but only ended up making eight appearances for the Canaries, instead spending the majority of his time back on loan in Germany with Dynamo Dresden and SV Darmstadt 98.
This summer saw him return to his homeland on a permanent basis, joining 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in a £900,000 deal.
And when reflecting on his unsuccessful spell in England, Franke says one thing stood out for him, the physicality, particularly of those around him at Norwich.
“The big difference is the physicality. It’s a bit of a two-way street,” he told Bild.
“And of course the burden: there are 24 clubs in the league (the Championship), so you have around 50 games in the season.
“As a result, not much gets done in training, but you have to get used to the rhythm.
“Twice a week, you go into the weight room. Then there is an Englishman next to you, who’s a head smaller – and still pumps the same weights. Then you know: ‘Okay, the boys are so big.’
“You could not underestimate anyone, even if the striker was only 1.80m. In the first games, I thought: ‘Oh, God, now you’re pushing this 1.80m guy aside.’
“I learned a lot during that time.”
