Following Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-1 defeat against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly, head coach Xabi Alonso shared his thoughts on the team’s performance. Speaking to kicker, Alonso expressed his dissatisfaction with how his team performed at the Emirates Stadium.
“This is a wake-up call for us in preparation,” Alonso stated. “That performance was far below our standard and far from where we aspire to be.”
Moving on from last season
Alonso also addressed whether the previous season’s success might be weighing on the squad, who remain unbeaten in the league. “We must put last season behind us,” he emphasized. “Our focus should be on the upcoming season, maintaining competitiveness and a strong mentality. Perhaps we needed a stark reminder of what we need to improve, and this match provided just that.”
During their second-to-last pre-season match, Leverkusen fell behind by two goals within the first 10 minutes, with Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard finding the net early on. Gabriel Jesus extended Arsenal’s lead to 3-0 before halftime. Former Leverkusen player Kai Havertz made it 4-0 in the 66th minute, with Adam Hlozek scoring a consolation goal for Leverkusen 10 minutes later.
The defeat is not ideal for Leverkusen, but it serves as a necessary reality check before the new season. They will play their final pre-season match against Real Betis at the BayArena on Saturday.
Preparations for the new season
Leverkusen will start their season a week later against VfB Stuttgart in the DFL Super Cup. Following that, they will travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach to begin their Bundesliga title defense.
