Bayer Leverkusen’s lead over FC Bayern has shrunk to two points two weeks before the direct duel. But coach Xabi Alonso assures us that there will be no nervousness.
Xabi Alonso confidently exuded relaxedness. The Bayer Leverkusen coach knows what makes his old colleagues at FC Bayern tick. The people of Munich are waiting for their competitors in the championship fight to become very nervous. But you don’t have to hope for that, Alonso demonstratively sent this message to his old homeland on Saturday evening.
“If I were to get nervous now, I would be exhausted in May,” said Alonso, who has been toughened as a player by numerous championship battles and finals, after the 0-0 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. And two weeks before the direct duel against Bayern he promised: “No one will be nervous here. We will remain very calm and optimistic.”
The former world and European champion also made this fiery appeal directly to the team in the dressing room. “Xabi said: We won’t be negative in any way,” said national player Jonas Hofmann: “Of course that was a small setback. But we are still first, two points ahead of Bayern. So I hope that none of the boys hang their heads We mustn’t let ourselves be driven crazy or thrown off course.”
Leverkusen scoreless for the first time this season
But you can also see in Munich: For the first time this season, Bayer remained without a goal, and for the first time the Leverkusen team dropped points against a team that is not in the top five in the league. And this time there wasn’t the masterful last-minute goal like before in Augsburg (1:0) or Leipzig (3:2). The fact that Leverkusen’s lead, unbeaten after 28 competitive games, has melted from four points to half is more of a numbers game. Because if the gap remains that way after the matchday in between, Bayern could overtake Bayer with a win in two weeks.
But there were also reasons for the zero number: Five players were missing from Alonso’s starting eleven in almost every game in the first third of the season because they were injured, suspended or because they were at the Africa Cup of Nations. With the exception of Victor Boniface, everyone could be back by the Bayern game on February 10th. And Leverkusen brought in a replacement for the injured striker in Borja Iglesias on Saturday evening. The two-time Spanish international striker was already in the stands against Gladbach. On the bench he could perhaps have been the decisive option. “If you can bring in a really beefy striker at the end and change the game a little, that will give you something back,” said Hofmann: “But he wasn’t there today.”
Rolfes: “We look after ourselves and keep working like this”
But even so, the league leaders had enough chances. The score was 28:4 shots on goal, at least five of which were great chances. “One of the five usually does it,” said sports director Simon Rolfes and also preached composure. What Bayern are doing “was of no interest to me two weeks ago. And not now either. We look at ourselves and continue to work as before. And we will score goals again.”
The zero number was also curious because Alonso’s predecessor Gerardo Seoane, of all people, became a stumbling block. With a team that had only kept a clean sheet in 18 games. “You can’t praise the team enough for this disciplined performance,” said the Swiss: “Even though we know that we had some luck in the game. And basically we’re all happy that Bayern have a competitor who will support them until the end will demand everything.”
Incidentally, Seoane, of all people, could ensure that the lead increases again until the top game. Because he will be playing with Gladbach at Bayern next Saturday.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
