"Little things like that" - Former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham explains main difference between Premier League and Serie A

AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham.
AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham.

Former Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham believes Serie A is "very tactical" in comparison to the Premier League.

Abraham, who currently turns out for AS Roma, enjoyed an excellent first campaign in Italy. The Englishman scored 27 times in 53 matches across all competitions, including 17 goals in 37 Serie A games. Additionally, his nine goals in 13 UEFA Europa Conference League matches helped the Giallorossi win the title.

During an interview with the Daily Mail, Abraham was questioned about how the Premier League compares to Serie A. The former Chelsea striker responded:

"They both have qualities that the other one doesn't. Italian football is very tactical. Teams want to stop you from scoring as much as possible. I think they mainly focus on stopping goals which does make it harder for a striker of course."

Abraham went on to add:

"One thing I had to learn quickly was how to win free-kicks. Holding the ball up when your team might need a breather, getting the cheap fouls as we would call them in England. Little things like that, I've added."

Despite his strong start and finish to last season, the forward hasn't begun the 2022-23 campaign the way he would have wanted. Abraham has netted just twice in six Serie A matches while laying out an assist. Roma currently find themselves fifth in the league standings, a point behind S.S.C. Napoli in first place.

The Englishman also couldn't find the back of the net during the Italian outfit's UEFA Europa League opener against HJK Helsinki. However, goals from Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Andrea Bellotti gave Jose Mourinho's side a winning start in the competition.


Tammy Abraham enjoyed a decent spell at Chelsea before signing for AS Roma

Following multiple loan spells away from the club, Abraham broke into Chelsea's first team in the 2019-20 season. Frank Lampard opted to go with the youngster as his first-choice striker and the move paid immediate dividends.

Abraham scored 10 goals and laid out two assists in his first 12 Premier League matches. While he slowed down after that, the forward still ended the season with 18 goals and six assists in all competitions.

Lampard's departure and Thomas Tuchel's arrival drastically reduced Abraham's playing tine. He featured in only 32 matches across competitions in the 2020-21 season and scored 12 goals, aiding Chelsea's UEFA Champions League triumph.

The striker eventually moved to Roma in the summer of 2021 on a deal worth £34 million. As per Metro, Chelsea inserted a £67.3 million buy-back clause into his contract with the Giallorossi.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman