The signing of Raheem Sterling as Manchester City’s most expensive signing ever overshadowed the arrival of a star defender that was widely considered the best from La Liga last season: Nicolas Otamendi.
The Argentinian hasn’t been heavily featured early on thanks to the success the team has had with Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala playing at high levels, but it is only a matter of time before Otamendi breaks through.
His Physicality
There is no doubt that Otamendi’s best asset is his incredible strength and that is a big reason why his game is so well-suited for the Premier League. Otamendi is an aggressive defender with a big body that is capable of bullying opposing attackers and that style worked perfectly for him in La Liga last season.
Otamendi is intelligent, quick and good with the ball at his feet but there is no doubt his strength is his biggest asset with the ability to win balls both on the ground and through the air. That will suit him well in the Premier League moving forward.
His Ball Skills
In addition to his incredible power, Otamendi has also shown rare ball skills. He has no problem pushing forward and jumping into the attack when the opportunity is there. That’s great when you consider that Manchester City is a very gifted offensive team and Otamendi will make them even stronger.
So far this season, they’ve scored 10 goals – the most in the EPL – and have yet to allow a single marker. Those 10 goals have come in just four games, so they’re averaging a whopping 2.5 per contest.
He has to be hoping he gets a chance to showcase those same skills at City. The Argentinian is also an excellent passer as well as according to the stats, he completed 79% of his passes last season and made 161 successful long balls from the back line. If you’re eyeing him in fantasy, he could be a very useful player in terms of offense with goals and assists.
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His Scoring Touch
The ability to create for forwards and midfields is important but Otamendi can also separate his self with his ability to score goals on his own, which he showed with six goals in La Liga last season. Otamendi was always confident with the ball at his feet in and while those six markets came in 35 contests with Valencia, that pretty decent for a defender.
Otamendi was never afraid to push forward in pressure situations and Valencia fans will never forget the clutch game-winning goal he scored in a 2-1 win over Real Madrid last season. He’ll have ample opportunities to make runs with the Citizens but the first thing he has to do is crack the lineup as a regular.
The most successful teams are able to get goals from all over the pitch and Otamendi is certainly capable of contributing at the offensive end of the pitch every time that he is on the field. There are plenty of quality Premier League defenders that don’t have the touch to help contribute at the offensive end of the pitch and that is another aspect of Otamendi’s game that will separate him from his peers.
His Desire To Prove Himself
Otamendi was raved about as the best defender in La Liga last season and after not being featured from the outset at City, there is no doubt he has the desire to prove himself. Otamendi is heading in to the prime of his career at 27 years of age and while he has already been compensated for his hard work and superb play, his desire to prove that he deserves to be considered among the top defenders in the world will help push him over the top in the Premier League.
