Marco Rose has not forgotten his first encounter with Xabi Alonso in Leipzig. The Spaniard had only been Bayer Leverkusen’s coach for three and a half weeks and was without a win for the fifth time in a row. Critical questions and thought games followed as to whether the ex-professional, who had little experience in the coaching bench, was the right person for the job. “I put in a word for him because he’s a great guy,” said Rose. “And hey presto, a few months later we’re talking about a coach who can coach Real Madrid.”
On Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky) a lot will be different than on that day in October 2022. Under Alonso, Bayer is more directly on course for the championship than ever before and is the only team still undefeated. However, three important pillars are missing in the entire central defense and the injured striker Victor Boniface. RB Leipzig, on the other hand, is a bit in search of itself and, after two games without a win, is reflecting on a lack of efficiency in front of the goal.
Winner Alonso
In this respect, the top game of the Bundesliga will be a double test of maturity. How strong is Leverkusen really? And: Is Leipzig actually a candidate for the championship again after the upheaval in the summer? Currently twelve points behind, it is something like the last chance for the Saxons to intervene in the race for the cup.
Rose has little doubt about Bayer. Which is mainly due to Alonso. “He’s a winner and passes that on to his team. He also has a cool idea to let football be played,” said the 47-year-old.
Since Rose and Alonso’s ideas are fundamentally not that far apart, tactical sophistication is required in the top game. “We have prepared some scenarios and know what we want to do,” said Alonso. Rose already suspects the scenarios, but that doesn’t make things any easier: “You know what’s coming from Bayer. But they play it at such a high level that it’s not easy.”
Rose’s antidote to Alonso football comes from his homeland. Dani Olmo is fit again and should be in the starting line-up on Saturday evening. “He is an extraordinary player with extraordinary skills. He can decide games on his own,” enthused Rose. It’s rare to find someone like Olmo. Not just in the Bundesliga, but throughout Europe.
A lot of effort, hardly any return
If the gifted technician wasn’t hindered by his bad luck with injuries, he would probably already be one of the league’s most influential players. Now he should first protect Leipzig from a small crisis in results. After the big upheaval in the summer, RB actually thought they were back at the top level with the Saxons, and the new additions Lois Openda and Xavi Simons carried the team. But now there is a risk of a third game in a row without a win against Leverkusen – something that has never happened before under Rose.
The coach is far from being criticized. But he is aware of the merciless nature of the business. “That’s the result at the end. Done. That’s either good or bad,” said Rose. Recently it was just annoying because numerous scoring opportunities were missed in the 0-1 win against Frankfurt. Leipzig fired 26 shots on goal. Yield? Zero.
“We have to accept the situation. Of course we will be measured and evaluated based on results,” said Rose. “We want to finally take advantage of our many scoring chances again.” One would think it was against Leverkusen of all places. The Werkself have the best defense in the league with only twelve goals conceded.
