The Bayer Leverkusen manager has become one of the most in-demand coaches in European football in recent months. Yet the 42-year-old spoke candidly when asked whether he would ever manage in England, where he spent five years with Liverpool. “It’s a very exciting competition with so many great players, coaches, great clubs, stadiums – and West Ham is one of them. We are facing them tomorrow with great respect but with great excitement that we have a great chance to go through and keep going in a great season as well.”
When asked if a Leverkusen treble would be a bigger miracle than Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League comeback, Alonso chuckled: “Why do we have to pick one? We can live more than one miracle. “Of course, that was a complete miracle, and all of us who were part of the team will always remember it. Let’s see what happens with the second one: It’s not proven that we have to lose one game, hopefully we can prove that we can go game by game and prepare for each one.
It’s a big challenge for sure, but we are on the way. But he isn’t tempting fate. “You need to fight a lot to get that destiny,” he said. “At the moment we have to think about West Ham and they are playing against Atalanta.
Dublin (where the final will be played) is a little bit far away to think about.” Leverkusen are all set to clinch their first ever league title if they defeat Werder Bremen at the BayArena on Sunday. They will also win if rivals Bayern Munich falter against Cologne a day earlier. *Do you think Xabi Alonso will manage Liverpool one day?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. *
! [LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 23: Xabi Alonso, Manager of Bayer Leverkusen, gestures prior to the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at BayArena on February 23, 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany.
