MADRID - Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has lauded the technical standard of La Liga in comparison to the Premier League just six months into his career with the Spanish giants. The Welshman joined Real for a reported £91 million from Tottenham Hotspur in September after being crowned as the Premier League’s best player by his fellow professionals and the football writers last season due to his stunning performances. However, he is enjoying the change to a less physical style of play in Spain and has been impressed by the willingness of even some of the sides struggling at the bottom of the table to try and play a passing game. “The big difference is the tactical play and the way all teams play a lot of good football. There are no long balls like there are in England,” he said on Thursday. “That is the biggest thing about Spain, it is all passing and movement. It has been a new experience which I am obviously learning from and enjoying. “All the teams, no matter if they are at the top or the bottom, try to play football. It is exciting, it is a great league and it is great to be playing here.” A series of niggling injuries plagued Bale’s start to the campaign, but his return to fitness and form has coincided with Real embarking on a 29-game unbeaten run stretching back to October. Barcelona’s surprise 1-0 defeat to Valladolid last weekend allowed Real to open up a four-point gap on their eternal rivals at the top of the table. Real face Barca twice in the next month in La Liga and the Copa del Rey final and could even meet four times in 25 days if they are drawn together in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Bale has managed to rack up 14 goals and 11 assists in just 25 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League so far this campaign, but he is sure there is more to come having overcome the initial challenges of a change in lifestyle when moving countries.
