Manchester City host Arsenal on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports
Wednesday 30 January 2019 10:16, UK
With Arsenal targeting Barcelona's Denis Suarez, Will Unwin caught up with the winger's former Manchester City team-mate Joan Roman to find out what he can bring to the Premier League...
When Denis Suarez first came to play football in England, the team-mate who would guide him was fellow Manchester City youngster Joan Roman.
Spaniard Roman had already been at City for a season prior to his compatriot's arrival and the club saw him as the ideal man to help integrate the teenager from Celta Vigo.
"I was at the training ground, training with the reserves. I went to the kitchen after being told to go there, as there was a new Spanish player coming to see the facilities with his family," Roman, who now plays for Polish side Miedzi Legnica, told Sky Sports.
"When he came, we had a very good relationship as we were the only two Spanish players in the reserves, so he came to my house many times and I went to his. We used to go bowling, to the cinema and to eat out.
"He was a very good, quiet guy."
While helping Suarez off the pitch, Roman knew his new team-mate needing little assistance to adapt to life on it.
Suarez even back then was a stand-out performer, thanks to his ability on the ball, but he did need to accept football in England was a different style to what he was used to.
Both he and Roman, who joined City from Espanyol, realised what they needed to do to succeed very quickly.
"I think he adapted well," said Roman. "When we were playing in the reserves, we were doing great. It was a bit more physical and, like when I arrived, he struggled in the first few games and he didn't perform too well but after these few games, he adapted as he is a strong guy.
"In England, football has changed a little bit and I don't think he needs to be as physical."
Roman knows the qualities Suarez will bring to Arsenal and has shown for Barcelona, Sevilla and Villarreal in La Liga.
"I think he is a very technical player. He is one those you enjoy watching, as aesthetically it is very nice to watch. Also, he doesn't seem strong, but he is strong - he uses his body very well. Personally, I think he is a very good player.
"His skills and his passing are very good. He has great vision on the pitch. On the ball, he knows how to make the rhythm of the game, he knows how to accelerate it and how to slow it down. These are his main attributes."
Knowing how to adapt is key, and Suarez showed he was capable of doing so as a teenager in Manchester, taking little time to learn English.
"I had to do some translation for him at the beginning but he quickly learned English, so he took that job away from me," Roman joked.
Although Suarez showed great promise, his first-team appearances at City were fleeting, only featuring in two League Cup games during his time with the club.
Suarez's frustration at a lack of a pathway to being a first-team regular saw him depart the Etihad after two seasons to join Barcelona where he would meet up again with Roman, playing alongside one another for the club's B team.
"My memories from Manchester are only good and everyone treated us very well and in the reserves team, we had a very good spirit," added Roman.
"It is true, it was not easy to go to the first team and they [the coaches] didn't select the youngsters often, and that's the reason why we went there: to grow.
"The club started to change every year since the arrival of the new owners and the chance to make it to the first team was difficult, which disappoints you and you don't feel as motivated. No matter how well you are doing, you will not get your chance."
Roman was a regular in the reserve team at Barcelona B and discussed with Suarez his move back to Spain, but the midfielder's mind was already made up as he looked to shine in his homeland.
"He spoke to me but he didn't need too much advice. In City, it was difficult to go to the first team as it was [Roberto] Mancini in charge at the time and he didn't call on the youngsters too much and the opportunity to go to the first team was too much to refuse.
"He played in the B team for one season and then they would take him to the first team and I think that's what made him make his decision.
"The style under Mancini and Andy Welsh [the reserve coach] was not the same as Barcelona and such a style suits him better. Maybe Guardiola would suit him better."
Eight years on from their first meeting, Roman doesn't think Suarez has changed much, as he just needed time to hone his natural skills.
Suarez has added a string to his bow, something that will help Unai Emery who previously worked with him at Sevilla - he can now play in numerous positions.
"He hasn't changed too much, maybe a little bit bigger and stronger but his passing and moving is almost the same," said Roman.
"At City, he was only playing in central midfield but at Barcelona B, he started playing on the wing sometimes.
"He has got the skills and the intelligence to play football. He is also not afraid, he believes in himself and the rest just comes from playing to get confidence."
Arsenal fans will be excited to see Suarez at the Emirates, and Roman is backing his friend to show what Manchester City fans missed out on all those years ago.
