Granit Xhaka gave a fascinating insight into life under Xabi Alonso, as the Swiss midfielder looked ahead to the UEFA Europa League final against Atalanta in Dublin on May 22. Xhaka explained that Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run has not been plain sailing by any means, and how Alonso’s winning mentality has put the team on the edge of an historic unbeaten campaign across all competitions.
Granit Xhaka revealed how Xabi Alonso’s mindset is inspiring Bayer Leverkusen to the verge of an historic unbeaten treble ahead of the UEFA Europa League final against Atalanta – live on TNT Sports.
Leverkusen extended their European record of 50 games unbeaten with a 5-0 win at Bochum on Sunday, and are aiming to add the UEFA Europa League and DFB-Pokal trophies to their cabinet by keeping that record intact.
The Swiss midfielder spoke about how Alonso’s wisdom from a trophy-laden playing career is helping to propel the Bundesliga champions to new heights.
“I’ve asked about a lot of things about Madrid when he was a player,” Xhaka told TNT Sports.
“I asked about his partner in midfield, the strikers he played with, his coaches, and how important the small details are in football.
“It’s about having this mindset to be calm, even if you are down in a game. An example is the number of games Madrid turned around when they were down, and the number of games they won when losing in extra time.
“That’s not the case just with him in their team, but today as well.
“They are the small details if you want to compete with the top teams. You need to be calm if you’re not playing well and believe you can get a result when you’re down in a game.”
Xhaka also gave a more detailed insight into what it is like to work with Alonso on a daily basis, and explained that the Spaniard sets a level playing field for every player in the squad.
“He is not a coach that is looking out for the names or status of players, in terms of who is older or younger, or who has played more games.
“During the week, he is thinking about who deserves to play at the weekend because they are training well.
“He gives every player the chance to prove their importance to the team. I think to manage this is so difficult because you have different types of characters and nationalities, different languages. But he has this experience as a player to give confidence to everyone. That’s why we performed like this as well”.
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Alonso calls for Leverkusen to ‘finish what we started’ and ‘make this an historic season’
Xhaka spoke about how this current Leverkusen team has risen in the face of adversity, and praised the togetherness evident throughout the whole club.
“The whole season is difficult because when you go 50 games unbeaten, the focus is generally on just the good things.
“But in my opinion, it was not as easy as it looked because you had half-times where we had not been playing so well and were down in the game.
“We also had games where we were down until late on. So, there were good things as well, but there were some things which didn’t go as we had planned.
“The reason why we win these games is because this team and the staff are so special in terms of how we work with each other, the respect, and how open we speak with each other.
“That’s why we are in both of these finals in the DFB-Pokal and the Europa League. We are all so happy to be a part of this team.”
The 31-year-old was also asked what it would mean to go through the entire season unbeaten – and if they are successful – believes the achievement will not be replicated.
“It’s difficult to explain or find the right words. To be unbeaten in the league is something special, but hopefully to be unbeaten all season, internationally, in the cup and in the league is something can take away from you.
“I don’t believe anybody else can do it. Maybe in another year later, but not in this world as long as we are living.”