Admin I Friday, Feb. 23, 2024
MUNICH – Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has said that he and the team are not bothered by speculation about his future.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has said that he and the team are not bothered by speculation about his future as the Bundesliga leaders aim to stretch their unbeaten run to a German record 33 matches on Friday against lowly Mainz.
“I’m the coach right now. That’s for sure. I have nothing new to say about the future. There are rumours, but it’s not an issue. It’s not the right time to talk about it,” Alonso told reporters on Thursday.
He added the rumours are “not a problem for me” and not for the players either: “We’ve had a normal week. We are all very focussed, no problem.”
New speculation arose on Wednesday when Bayern Munich announced that they will part ways with Thomas Tuchel after the season. Alonso would be a hot candidate as ex-Bayern player but is also said to be sought by another former club, Liverpool, in succession of Jürgen Klopp.
Leverkusen are eight points clear at the top of the table and can raise that advantage to 11 points on Friday, with struggling Bayern playing on Saturday against RB Leipzig.
Mainz handed Leverkusen a home defeat last term but if Leverkusen avoid defeat on Friday they will be unbeaten in a German record 33 games in all competitions. They are currently tied on 32 with Bayern who achieved the feat in 2019 and 2020.
But Alonso said they are keeping their feet on the ground and not thinking about titles and records.
“I don’t tend to look at the table. We are not thinking about May but rather about how we can achieve our goals in this current period. We are focusing on the current opponent and the goal is clear and focus on winning our next matches,” he said.
“As always we have prepared well. We have almost all players ready with a good motivation and mood.
“We are expecting a good opponent and don’t want to repeat the home defeat from last season.”
