Marin: Chelsea training is a step up

Marko Marin has admitted he has been impressed with the intensity and tempo of Chelsea training in pre-season so far.

The attacking midfielder joined the Champions League holders from Werder Bremen this transfer window and the club’s preparations for the 2012/13 campaign are under way.

The Germany international has spoken of his satisfaction over the switch to Stamford Bridge and the initial step-up in quality that he has witnessed in training.

“The training is a good intensity,” the 23-year-old told the club’s website.

“I like the training here because we train most of the time with the ball. In Germany in pre-season we did more running without the ball.

“It is also nice here to see how good the players are in the possession games with the ball. Everybody is a technically good player, and the training ground is something special.

“In Germany you don’t have a training ground like this, so huge where you can see the many pitches for the younger players too.

“If Chelsea calls you then it is a really nice feeling. It is a good experience to play in another country and in England, which for me is the best league – not only because the stadiums are full, because we have the same in Germany too, but I think there is another atmosphere in the stadiums here.

“I have played a few games in England and you can feel it, and the intensity and the tempo of the game is so much higher.

“If you play in a team like Chelsea you are in focus everywhere in the world, not just Germany, so if you perform well it is a logical step you come back into the national side.

“It is my decision to go to another country because I am not afraid of this, I like this, I want to play for Chelsea. It is not that I want to go abroad from Germany, it is that Chelsea are a good club.

“They are European champions, so I am happy to play here.”