Alonso feels it's still too early to discuss Leverkusen's title

Despite his team’s 13-point lead at the top of the table, Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said on Friday that it was “still too early” to discuss the Bundesliga championship.

Depending on what happens to the defending champions, Bayern Munich, who are now in second position, Leverkusen might win their first-ever Bundesliga title as early as next week.

“In football, anything can happen,” Alonso told reporters, saying

“it’s still too early.”

“We are in a very good position. But we’re not talking about the title, we’re talking about the next opponent.”

On Saturday, Leverkusen will play away at Union Berlin while Bayern will be visiting mid-table Heidenheim.

Alonso’s team is enjoying an amazing season and is getting close to winning it all. They defeated Fortuna Duesseldorf 4-0 at home on Wednesday to go 40 games without a loss and secure a spot in the German Cup final.

The Spaniard stated last week that he planned to stay at Leverkusen for the upcoming season, even if Bayern Munich and Liverpool were showing interest in him. He also stated that the players were concentrated on the next match, and the supporters weren’t getting too excited about the possibility of a treble.

Leverkusen finished first in the league, advanced to the German Cup and Champions League finals, and lost all three championships in 2002.

“The fans are intelligent and they can remember what happened in the past. They’ve got patience.

“We want to celebrate when we can celebrate. And now it is not the moment to celebrate, it’s the moment to work and to prepare.”

Victor Boniface, the striker who made his 2024 debut against Duesseldorf on Wednesday after recovering from an injury, would not start on Saturday, according to Alonso.

“He could start, but we’ve decided not to play him from the beginning.

“It was good for him to play 25 or so minutes on Wednesday. We want to help him to come back properly and to feel good.

“We need him.”

AFP