Already with seven appearances for Nottingham Forest, Gustavo Scarpa has now spoken about his adaptation to English football.
The former Palmeiras midfielder was this week interviewed by ESPN Brasil, and talked about how things have been going for him in the Premier League.
It turns out one of the first things he had to say was regarding the refereeing. The way officials take the game in England is completely different from Brazil, and he tried to explain that.
“There are many things here that in Brazil would have VAR intervention, yellow card, red card. Here… the game continues, the referee doesn’t care,” Gustavo Scarpa told ESPN Brasil.
“It’s really cool, but it’s a whole new world.”
“In Brazil, you can fall if you are touched. Here you have to steady your body, endure the stride because the referee orders to continue. Sometimes it’s even funny. There’s a replay, there’s VAR, and the referee orders it to continue.”
He claims the many signings made by the Reds is actually something good for the footballers, since they’re all finding the same environment and enjoying their adaptation together.
“The situation is quite different. We had a well-consolidated group at Palmeiras and here most of the athletes arrived at the beginning of the season. This is sometimes good because there are younger people, there are no cliques, everyone tries to help those who arrive.”
“This has been very important to me. It was no different with me, neither with Danilo nor with Felipe. Even Keylor Navas arrived. It’s a different group philosophy. New experiences make us grow.”
The midfielder was also asked if he’s planning something for the future. That may have been a question where he could tease with a transfer to another European club, but his response was quite different, claiming he wants to continue doing well and get a place at the national team.
“I’m thinking of having an excellent season here at Nottingham Forest. Apparently I adapted quickly, I’ve been happy with the opportunities I’ve received. I’ll fight to keep having possibilities”.
“I want to try to reach the Brazilian national team as well… but now they may just start calling the athletes who are in Brazil (laughs). Just kidding, but this is one of the individual goals I have. It’s a dream.”
