Former Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis admits he is relishing Major League Soccer after being left frustrated by the defensive approach of Scottish sides.
The 28-year-old pulled no punches as he talked up his hopes at Atlanta United while opening up on life in Scotland after securing a £4million transfer Stateside. The Greek international was a big hit in Glasgow's east end where he scored 26 goals and was a key component to the side which won the title in Ange Postecoglou's first season.
But Giakoumakis admits the low block Celtic faced from SPFL rivals is not something he will miss. Speaking at his introductory press conference, he said: "In Celtic it was a totally different style of play, the competition there is not so good. There are two clubs, and all the other clubs try to defend. Most of the opponents were trying to block is in their box, we were keeping possession and trying to create spaces, score in a different way.
"I think this league (MLS) is a bit more competitive, they all try to play, so I think I will even more space in the back of their defence and create more problems."
But Giakoumakis admits he is unfazed by his status as Atlanta's key man and the pressure to replace Josef Martinez – the club's top marksmen who netted 111 goals in 158 games before joining MLS rivals Inter Miami. He added: "I like pressure, I work under pressure all the time. I'm hungry for goals, I think that's my fuel."
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