They have to play freely, don't let the Champions League become a burden for them. Because if they make the Champions League a burden, then most likely they will not be able to show their best performance. Xabi Alonso must also be able to ensure that the players he has are in a very good mental state, so that it will make it easier for him to implement strategies. Because their mentality will also influence them in applying the strategies given by the coach.
I think maybe Xabi Alonso knows the limits of his team's abilities so he doesn't expect more to reach the final, at least they can qualify for the last 16 or the quarter-finals, which is better because the competition in this UCL competition is quite tight where all the strong teams are here. Xabi Alonso knows how capable his team is and he also needs to update the strength in his main squad because it is important that in order to be able to compete in the UCL European competition they also have to make changes to the players in their main squad. it is very important for progress.
Every team certainly wants to make progress but if they experience setbacks it won't be good, Leverkusen will be a difficult team in the UCL, that's for sure because they could play better, like playing in the UEL last season where they failed in the final but they can still improve. in the UCL next season, but in my opinion Xabi Alonso will focus on the strength of the team and the players in their main squad which is indeed important to increase the players' confidence and the players' mentality.