Daily Mirror

Premier League BURNOUT is killing English teams in Europe

SAYS GARETH BALE

- BY ANDY DUNN Chief Sports Writer

WHEN you have two Champions League winners’ medals at the age of 27, you know what it takes to be successful in the competitio­n.

And Gareth Bale reckons English clubs will struggle to reclaim their former glories as long as the Premier League remains the most intense in Europe.

England has provided just one winner over the last eight seasons and only three of the 16 finalists in that time have been from the Premier League. La Liga has served up seven finalists in that period, winning the famous trophy on five occasions.

Bale believes the contrast is directly rooted in the contrast between the two domestic leagues.

He said: “In every game in the Premier League you have to be at 100 per cent for 90 minutes or you will lose.

“In Spain, you can be up at half-time against the bottom club and you can take your foot off the gas. You can rest players and take people off.

“If you only try for 45 minutes you won’t win a match in the Premier League.

“Obviously, we still play but it’s not at the same 110 per cent intensity. I think it’s a big reason.

“On any given day, 20th can beat top in the Premier League. Here in Spain, not so much. It’s a bigger gap. But the top six or seven here are really, really strong. In terms of the whole league, the Premier League is by far the most competitiv­e but the teams that perform in Europe are mainly from Spain, Germany or Italy. “The winter break is massive. In England, you’ll play four or five games when we don’t play any. “You don’t get many rest days and it does burn you out for a long time after that.” Bale’s Real Madrid look certain to book yet another quarter-final slot as they take a 3-1 lead to Napoli tonight. He will return to the team having missed the victory at Eibar on Saturday as a result of last Wednesday’s red card against Las Palmas.

Despite that moment of madness, Bale is still relishing his role at Madrid – where he is now contracted until 2022 – and life in Spain.

He said: “With two Champions Leagues in the cabinet, I think it was the right decision to come here.

“I’m enjoying the different culture and the different challenges and it is great for my family. And I feel like my

game has developed a lot. It’s more technical, there are times when you have to keep the ball and pick your opportunit­ies and decide when to go.

“I feel I’m better in smaller spaces. I’m basically building my skill-set.”

That skill-set is bound to improve under Bale’s third manager at the Bernabeu, Zinedine Zidane.

“He just knows football,” declared Bale. “He knows the psychology of football. He played at the top level, was the best player for years in his prime. He’s just brought his playing style into management, has a very calming influence and has shown us what he has got on the training field.”

The race for La Liga is tight with Real trailing Barca by a point but with a game in hand. For the moment, though, Bale and his teammates will be concentrat­ing on a competitio­n which is synonymous with their great club.

Bale, a BT Sport ambassador, said: “We have won it the most, 11 times, obviously we want to win everything but if you had to choose one, it would be the Champions League.”

It has a special place in Bale’s career. He scored in Real Madrid’s 4-1 extra-time win in the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid and was successful in the penalty shoot-out when they triumphed over their city rivals last year.

A third winners’ medal would have added significan­ce, as this year’s final will be staged in his home city.

He explained: “I had the experience of winning the Super Cup in Cardiff after the first Champions League win and that was special.

“But if we won the Champions League in Cardiff it would be amazing.” „BT Sport is your home of unmissable live football. Watch Napoli v Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last 16 exclusivel­y live on BT Sport 3 from 7pm tonight.

 ??  ?? SIESTA IN SPAIN Bale and his Real pals can take it easy in some La Liga games, unlike stars in the Premier League
SIESTA IN SPAIN Bale and his Real pals can take it easy in some La Liga games, unlike stars in the Premier League
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