Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina says he is enjoying the physical nature of the Premier League as he battles for the No.1 jersey in his debut season with the Gunners.
Despite doubts over the 26-year-old's relatively diminutive 6ft stature, Ospina has become Arsene Wenger's first-choice keeper after signing from Nice last summer.
The Colombia international has taken over from the dropped Wojciech Szczesny of late and is in a fine run of form with three consecutive clean sheets -- including a 2-0 win over title holders Manchester City -- and appears unfazed by the direct nature of English football.
"English football is very direct. You have to be focused for the entire 90 minutes because you can score or concede at any moment," he told the club's official website.
"The football here is really physical and nobody wants to give an inch -- that's what I think makes this great league so exciting and special."
VIDEO: @D_Ospina1 discusses the "group effort" required to keep a clean sheet http://t.co/te6Ng1VOxx pic.twitter.com/vcedPhQeoh
- Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 28, 2015
Ospina had some worried that he would not be able to live with the physical nature of the Premier League, but he has silenced critics of late with a string of clean sheets.
The 2014 World Cup quarterfinalist gave particular thanks to the centre-back pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny for the club's good run of form.
He added: "They're great players and great people. That has really helped me. They're very experienced. We hope to keep winning, keep learning every day and keep making the most of the opportunities we get.
"[As a goalkeeper] you try to help the team by giving them confidence from the back and keeping a clean sheet. Having said that, not conceding is a group effort, and I think the team did extremely well in that regard against [Manchester] City.
"From the defenders right through to the strikers, we all worked hard to win the ball back, and that was very important in terms of getting the result."