Gareth Bale has offered his take on why Tottenham Hotspur perform better in European competitions than the Premier League, following a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Tottenham Hotspur have been really poor in recent weeks, but they finally recorded their first victory of 2026 with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Thanks to other results going their way, Spurs are now fourth in the league phase of the Champions League, having averaged two points per game.
This is in striking contrast to Tottenham’s Premier League record, with Thomas Frank’s team picking up just 27 points in 22 matches.
Gareth Bale explains why Tottenham struggle in the Premier League
The difference between Spurs in Europe compared with domestic competitions is truly bizarre, but club legend Gareth Bale believes he may know why this is the case.
According to the ex-Tottenham winger, his old team are better in the Champions League because it is less physically demanding than the top tier of English football.
Bale told TNT Sports: “It’s a different type of football, European football. You’re playing teams from different countries, it’s not so physical, it’s not so demanding. Everybody knows what the Premier League’s like, it’s very fast and furious.
“Maybe this team is more suited to European competition with the record last year in the Europa League.”
Spurs must improve their home form
While Bale reckons he understands why Spurs are struggling in the Premier League, he has acknowledged they have put in some good performances away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, if Spurs are to improve their concerning situation in the Premier League table, their home displays have to be more like what everyone witnessed on Tuesday night.
“They [Tottenham] somehow need to find a solution to playing in the Premier League and really improve their home form drastically, because their away form is pretty good,” Bale continued.
“If they can just change their home fortunes, get the crowd behind them and giving them their confidence back, and making this the fortress it used to be.”
Spurs next play at home against Manchester City on February 1 and they will take on Newcastle and Arsenal later in the month in North London.
These are tough fixtures, but the Dortmund win could be the encouragement Tottenham need to find push on and turn things around in England.
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