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Montoya: Our style reminds me of Barcelona

Martin Montoya is relishing Albion’s change of style under Graham Potter – as he says it reminds him of his time with Barcelona.

By Bruce Talbot • 31 December 2019

By Paul Hazlewood
Martin Montoya in action against AFC Bournemouth.

The 28-year-old made 56 appearances for the Spanish giants between 2010 and 2016 and the philosophy ingrained in Barca’s players from a young age is serving the defender well in his second season with the Seagulls.

“The head coach’s ideas are to create chances from our possession, and I like to be part of this, as do all the players,” said Montoya.

“Personally, I grew up playing for Barcelona so it has been easier for me to adapt to the philosophy because I have been doing it all of my life. Sometimes the head coach here asks me about Barcelona, and I told him our way was pretty similar.

“We have adapted to the new ideas that he has brought to the club. We enjoy it as players, and I think the fans enjoy it as well. Of course we’d like to have won more points so far this season - but I think that we are in a good way and can climb the table.”

By Paul Hazlewood
Martin Montoya blocks a shot on goal at the weekend.

Montoya has played in 17 of Albion’s 20 games under Potter and while he is enjoying the boss’s philosophy, his main focus remains keeping the ball out of the net. He has made more tackles in the Premier League than any of his team-mates so far this season.

“It is good to have the manager’s trust,” he added. “It’s a really good start but I want to keep going, in every match and every training session. I want to keep pushing hard.”

Albion begin the decade by hosting Chelsea at the Amex on New Year’s Day, and Montoya says confidence is high after the 2-0 win over AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

“It was an important win, especially as we’d only won one of the previous eight games and against Crystal Palace and Tottenham, for instance, I felt we deserved more,” he added.

“Chelsea is tough team, but we are at home and after beating Bournemouth I think we have a good chance, if we play as well as we can. We have won four of our last seven in front of our own supporters and the new style helps us be more positive and gives you more chances to win.”