Quote from: Hanadawa on Today at 12:57:56 PM

Quote from: arimamib on Today at 10:30:43 AM

Next season will be a difficult challenge for Alonso in maintaining their performance, because after all the rival teams will strengthen their squad very well, so indeed Leverkusen is also required to do the same by bringing in some new players to be able to compete next season, I personally doubt a little if Leverkusen can repeat their glory next season because indeed tighter competition will occur both in the Champions League as well as domestic leagues.

I believe Leverkusen still has the potential to become Bundesliga champions next season. I put Leverkusen as the first favorite and Munich as the second favorite to win the Bundesliga. But I'm not sure they will be able to win the UCL next season. This season Leverkusen has really impressed in the UEL. They managed to reach the final but unfortunately they lost to Atalanta. Hats off to Alonso who has succeeded in turning a mediocre team like Leverkusen into a very solid squad. Alonso will always be remembered as the coach who came closest to achieving the invincible treble, a prestigious achievement that as far as I know has never been achieved by any coach in Europe, or even in the world.

Nobody's denying Xabi Alonso's done a fantastic job at Leverkusen. He made a contending squad out of what was, to be honest, a shambles. They had a real fire in their belly in the Europa League, and thats a testament to Alonso's leadership. Things change drastically in the Champions League. Its now against the big guys, the world's Bayern Munichs. You need consistency, you need depth, you need that killer instinct.

I like the positivity. But we gotta be realistic. Leverkusen has some way to go still. They need to strengthen their squad, shore up their defense, and maintain that hunger. Who knows if Alonso keeps pushing them and they can accomplish that. Perhaps they can grow to be formidable. It wont, however, happen over night. Lets see if Alonso can truly take them to the next level.