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At the start of the press conference on Good Friday, Alonso explained his decision in English: "Last week I had a very good meeting with Simon [Rolfes] and Fernando [Carro] when I informed them of my decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen." And he added: "I feel that this is the right place for me to develop as a coach. I have a good feeling as a young coach. I feel that my job is not over here. I want to help them, I want to help the team, I want to help the young players develop. And if I'm part of the process then I'm happy with that."
Alonso said he used the international break to reflect. The Spanish coach stated: "Once I had taken the decision it was important to share the decision with everyone because I need to give them back the respect they have shown me. I am grateful to these people as well that they believe; the fans, my staff, the players. Now everything is clear and we have two months to give full gas and fight for something that could be great for this club." Alonso shared his decision with his players ahead of the training session on Friday morning.
Alonso said he is fully focused on the home game against Hoffenheim. TSG come to Leverkusen full of confidence lying eighth in the table. Pellegrino Matarazzo's team is one of three in the Bundesliga who have picked up more points on the road than they have at home. Hoffenheim rank sixth for away points with 20 from 13 games.
The 19 Werkself players away on international duty have all returned fit and well. In addition to Arthur, only Exequiel Palacios and Victor Boniface are ruled out for the game against TSG but they are expected to return to the matchday squad soon.
In the few training sessions with the squad this week, there was great excitement amongst the players ahead of the next match for Bayer 04 with all the home sections at the BayArena sold out. Alonso said: "You could see the lads were happy to be together again. We have two crucial months coming up that starts with tomorrow's important game against Hoffenheim."
Due to roadworks on Robert-Blum-Straße / Im Eisholz there will be delays getting to and from the match. Traffic on Robert-Blum-Straße will be controlled via temporary traffic lights. Montessoriweg will be a one-way street. We advise fans to leave in good time to get to the BayArena and recommend using the public transport network, the shuttle bus service and bicycles. The roadworks are due to last to 5 April.
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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