- After the Bayer loss, Alonso expresses not everything as catastrophic.
Bayer Leverkusen's manager, Xabi Alonso, voiced his frustration but managed to keep his cool following his team's break in their national title run. "It's tough, it's bitter. Today, we shouldn't have lost, especially considering the first half," the 42-year-old Spanish dude shared on Sky TV after the 2:3 home defeat to RB Leipzig, where Leverkusen surrendered a 2:0 advantage.
They had chances to score more goals before the break, Alonso pointed out. "In the second half, we didn't maintain control as well as we should have, and we let in goals too easily. We acknowledge the loss, that's football," he commented. "Even though we lost, it's not a total catastrophe. We played well. But we need to work on our game without the ball."
Later on, Alonso revealed that the title-winning squad from the previous season would learn from these missteps. "It's not ideal to let an opponent come back from a 2:0 deficit. But it's a learning process, we're still early in the season," the ex-pro said. Leverkusen had not suffered a Bundesliga loss in 35 straight games before this setback.
After the disappointing loss, Alonso expressed his thoughts on the German Bundesliga, mentioning, "Regardless of today's result, we cannot overlook the legitimacy and competitiveness of the German Bundesliga." Despite the defeat, he remained hopeful for future improvements, stating, "We understand that every team in the Bundesliga is capable of turning the tide, and we need to prepare accordingly."
