Bayer Leverkusen’s coach, Xabi Alonso, is getting his team ready to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a big soccer competition. He says the key to winning is staying calm, even though his team has beaten or tied Bayern in every game since he became coach in October 2022.
Alonso might be new to coaching—he’s only in his second full season—but he knows a lot about the Champions League from when he was a player. He won the competition with two famous teams, Liverpool and Real Madrid. He also played for Bayern Munich for three years. In total, he made it to the final three times and the semi-finals six times as a player. On top of that, he won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with Spain’s national team.
Now, as a coach, Alonso has led Leverkusen to an unbeaten record against Bayern Munich: three wins and three draws. This upcoming game is their first time facing each other in the Champions League, and it’s a big deal because this year’s final will be held in Munich, Bayern’s home city. Alonso’s experience in important games could help his team a lot.
Last weekend, Leverkusen beat another team, Eintracht Frankfurt, 4-1 in the Bundesliga, which is Germany’s top soccer league. Even with that win, they’re still eight points behind Bayern in the league standings. Alonso says that doesn’t matter much for the Champions League. He told reporters after the game, “It doesn’t matter. The next game is always the most important. It will be brutally difficult for us and it’ll be a big challenge.”
He explained that the Champions League feels different from the Bundesliga because it’s more emotional. “Emotional control is most important,” Alonso said. “Five bad minutes, and you’re gone.” This means if his team gets upset or makes mistakes for even a short time, they could lose the game.
Learning from Mistakes
This season, Leverkusen has been great at times, but letting their feelings take over has hurt them before. For example, when they played Atletico Madrid, another strong team, Leverkusen was winning at halftime and had an advantage because Atletico had one less player. But Leverkusen got too emotional, ended up with one of their own players sent off, and lost the game after Atletico scored in the very last minute.
Granit Xhaka, a Leverkusen player who used to play for Arsenal in England, said staying steady is the key to beating Bayern. “I think we’re stable enough to upset Bayern,” Xhaka said. He also mentioned that while the Bundesliga race will take time to figure out, the Champions League offers a big chance for them to do well.
Facing a Tough Opponent
Bayern Munich has won the Champions League six times, so they’re experts at this competition. Leverkusen’s best result was in 2002 when they came in second place, losing to Real Madrid. Still, Alonso’s team feels confident because they’ve done well against Bayern before. “We know each other very well and we’ve played recently,” Alonso said.
He knows the games won’t be easy. “We need to try and deal with the bad moments we might have, because that’s the Champions League, to go through difficult moments and not make many mistakes,” he added. The first game will be at Bayern’s stadium, called the Allianz Arena, and the second will be at Leverkusen’s home field. “It’s Bayern, they’re the best team in Germany,” Alonso said. “Not always the best team wins, but we will see.”
In short, Alonso wants his team to stay calm and focused. If they can handle the tough moments and avoid big errors, they have a chance to beat Bayern and move forward in the Champions League.
