Soccer playing styles from around the world

One of the hallmarks of different soccer teams is their playing styles. You can immediately differentiate a Latin American or Spanish team from a German team just from the way they play. Here is a basic breakdown of how three different teams play:

British

Players from the UK are physical, quick and direct. It is a no-nonsense style of play that exemplifies the traditional values that have been present in England since the early days of soccer. The attacking moves are set up fast and with a minimal amount of touches. The fast pace leads to fierce one on one fights over possession. This playing style has not resulted in a lot of success for British teams outside the UK, to the extent that Manchester United and Chelsea play very differently against teams from the continent.

Italian

Italian players are very skillful while being more cautious and cunning than others. The main characteristic is unpredictable attacks that come from indirect angles. These attacks are unpredictable because the Italian teams do not commit many players forward initially. They use the skill advantage to vary the tempo during the buildup.

Latin

Creativity and amazing ball control are hallmarks of Latin players. They are confident with the ball and play a possession-oriented game. The ball is moved forward through a series of individual plays. From all the Latin football teams like Spain and Portugal, Brazil plays the most free-flow game, with a lot of passing and improvisation by the individual players.