Leverkusen boss Xavi Alonso says: ‘We’re not done yet’ Football News

Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso said his unbeaten side were “not done yet” after winning their first league title on Sunday and that a treble this season was still possible. Florian Wirtz scored a second-half hat-trick as Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 5-0 at home on Sunday to seal the club’s first Bundesliga title in 120 years. Alonso joined Leverkusen midway through last season and this is his first full season as coach. He told reporters after the game that the sky was the limit for his team, who have yet to lose a game in 43 games this season.

The 42-year-old manager was drenched in beer after surprising his players at a press conference, reminding everyone that “it’s not over yet”.

“We’ll see how far we can go. I feel good about it.”

The victory puts Leverkusen 16 points ahead of Bayern with five games remaining, meaning they cannot be caught.

The total of 79 points is the highest in German football history after 29 games.

Leverkusen advanced to the DFB-Pokal final with a 2-0 lead in the Europa League quarter-final first leg against West Ham United, with the second leg taking place on Thursday.

“It’s not over yet, we still have great goals we want to achieve. But we can think about that on Tuesday.

“Today and tomorrow, we need to celebrate.”

Alonso committed to staying at Leverkusen for another year in late March despite reports of interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Alonso, who retired after a brilliant career at Liverpool, Bayern and Real Madrid, said his experience of working with players was an advantage.

“I want to be close to the players and talk to them and as a football player I know how they feel.

“I have empathy and connection with the players, which is important in the locker room. I try to maintain that connection with the team.”

Leverkusen have finished second five times but have never broken through to the German title.

“This trophy belongs to many people and we have to enjoy it,” Alonso said.

Leverkusen’s victory broke Bayern’s 11-year dominance.

“It could be healthy for the Bundesliga and German football for other teams to win, and I’m happy it’s us,” Alonso said.

“One of the best decisions I’ve ever made”

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka, another victim of German football’s traditional beer showers, told reporters coming to the club “was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.” “.

Xhaka moved to Bayer Leverkusen from Arsenal in the summer after seven years with the Gunners.

Arsenal led the Premier League for much of last season but were eventually chased by treble winners Manchester City.

The Switzerland captain said: “When you play football for the first time as a kid, you think about championships.

“After seven years at Arsenal we almost won the title last year.

“I’m so grateful to be here, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Wirtz’s second-half hat-trick sealed victory, something the 20-year-old midfielder said “we couldn’t have imagined at the beginning of the season”.

“The belief gradually emerged when we started winning a lot of games with a dominant style of play. We said to ourselves that we could do better than just have a good season and qualify for the Champions League.”

Bayer Leverkusen winger Jonas Hofmann, 31, was extremely excited after winning the Bundesliga title for the first time after playing in German football for more than a decade.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. We always push ourselves to the limit and it’s awesome.”

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