It's never a good idea to damn a footballer with faint praise. You never know what reaction you may get.
So maybe it was a risk suggesting to Fernandinho of Manchester City that he does not fit some of the more clumsy Brazilian stereotypes.
'My country is too big to have too many good players all of the same style of play,' Fernandinho smiled.
'You will have watched the national team of the 70s and 80s.