The former Bayern Munich midfielder will need a few aces up his sleeve…
Bayer Leverkusen Xabi Alonso is — somehow — not smarting from his squad’s 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League next week.
The coach sees the deficit as an opportunity to display the team’s depth and resilience.
“It’s a good moment to show that we are a complete team and that we can win without Flo [Wirtz] and also for him, that we can advance in the Champions League so he can play again in the competition this season. There’s no bigger test than tomorrow without Flo (Wirtz),” said Alonso (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We and the fans have to believe from the first second that we can do it. It’s a game that can stay for a long time in our history. We have to play with heart, passion, intensity and aggressiveness. It’s a chance that we might not get again in our careers – so we have to try everything until the end. Of course we know how difficult it is — but sometimes, something epic can be created out of a difficult situation.
“We are in a position where we have nothing to lose. Only Bayern can lose something tomorrow. 100% of Bayern fans believe that they’ll go through. I’m sure not many Bochum fans believed [they could win] after the 2-0 [against Bayern], but they came back and won. Many unexpected things happen in football, and it could happen again tomorrow.
“We won the Bundesliga unbeaten. For me that’s probably more difficult [than a comeback tomorrow]. So the team can do difficult things. The players know and feel that, which is important. A situation that goes our way, a first goal can have a big influence tomorrow. We have to find and provoke these situations.”
Can Bayern Munich withstand what should be an aggressive charge from Die Werkself?
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Bayern Munich’s second leg of the Champions League tie with Bayer Leverkusen? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
