“Quite a bit has changed since the games last year against Roma – both with us and them,” Alonso stated at Wednesday’s press conference from the Stadio Olimpico. “There are new people at both teams. The styles of play have also changed somewhat.”
The change of approach at the Giallorossi is also down to their change of coach since club legend Daniele De Rossi took over from Jose Mourinho in January. “His style of play is clear to see. Their style has changed with the change of coach.”
The Werkself are now unbeaten in their last 46 competitive fixtures. The Bundesliga title is in the bag, but they’ve now got their sights on the next goal. “The desire and hunger to reach the final are absolutely there. It’s a second chance for us after last year, even though we know it’ll be difficult. Roma have shown their quality often enough in the Europa League this season. There’s also the spectacular atmosphere in the stadium here.” Some 2,400 fans have made the trip from Leverkusen to Rome to support their team.
The Werkself have arrived with a fully fit squad. Jonathan Tah went off with a knock against VfB Stuttgart but is available, as are forwards Adam Hlozek and Borja Iglesias after their respective injuries. While Alonso refused to state whether they would feature, the Spaniard did confirm that Matej Kovar will continue in goal in the competition.
Schick missed last season’s semi-final tie against his former club due to injury. “It makes me even happier to be back fit and healthy now. It’ll be nice to see some of my old teammates again,” the Czech striker said. One of those is new coach De Rossi. “He was a great player, a real leader on the pitch. And from what I’ve seen from a distance, he’s also doing a super job as a coach here at Roma. I think he’s got a very promising future ahead of him in this area.”
While the 28-year-old himself admitted that he “wasn’t yet ready for such a big club” during his time at Roma, he now feels he’s at exactly the right place following his 2019 move to the Bundesliga. “The speed, the way they press – I really like the style of football in Germany and in the Bundesliga. And then there’s also my teammates with huge quality. We now want to take the next step together.”
Tonight, 5 December at 21:00 CET, Bayer 04 take to the legendary Anfield to play English giants Liverpool FC on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League (live on Amazon Prime Video). The Matchday News has all the info on the clash with the current Premier League leaders.
Show moreThe Werkself take on Liverpool FC at Anfield on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday 5 November (21:00 CET, live on Prime Video). At the press conference at the historic stadium, head coach Xabi Alonso discussed his return to his former club as well as the gameplan against the Reds, while Granit Xhaka warned of strong opponents.
Show moreLiverpool could hardly have made a better start to this season, sitting top of the Premier League, boasting three wins from three in the UEFA Champions League, and through to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. Arne Slot’s side are in imperious form ahead of hosting the Werkself at Anfield, where Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and the others want to keep that momentum going against Germany’s double winners. Here’s all you need to know about our next opponents…
Show moreXabi Alonso spent five years as a player at Liverpool. It was where he developed into a global star, winning the Champions League with The Reds in 2005 and, subsequently, three more trophies. Now he's making his first return to the Anfield Road as Bayer 04 coach. We reflect on his time at the club and take a look back at the Werkself's two previous encounters with the Liverpudlians.
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