adminLONDON. – When you have two Champions League soccer 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 English 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.
The Spanish 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 explains: “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, not so much. It’s a bigger gap.’’ – The Mirror.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter