Getting flogged by Flamengo U21 a few days ago was just a prelude of what is to come. Xhaka knows Leverkusen is finished with ETH at the club, and that's why he wants out before it's too late. Another thing is that he's not fighting to move to a bigger club, as most players would do. He's fighting to go to Sunderland, which Leverkusen is obviously bigger than. That tells me he's desperate about leaving and does not want to stick around when the ship starts sinking.
It was a pre-season match, and it's where we see a lot of surprise results. So, Flamengo U21 defeating Leverkusen is not a surprise result to me because I have seen many matches like that before. I know that Ten Hag is not the best coach, but he's also not that bad. All I want to see is the result as the season begins, and from there, I can judge. Maybe he can handle Leverkusen properly, or maybe not.In fact, with Leverkusen’s current squad, I don’t even expect much from Ten Hag because I believe that even Xabi Alonso, if he were still there, would struggle. If he doesn’t add quality players to strengthen the team, it will be hard to win the Bundesliga with the current squad.
Another thing that might prevent Ten Hag from being successful at Leverkusen is that he may not get the opportunity to sign quality players to help strengthen the team, as top
-class players may not be willing to play under him. Just look at what's happening now Xhaka, who is important to Leverkusen, wants to leave. Even Ten Hag knows how crucial Xhaka is to the team. If Xhaka leaves Leverkusen, it will be hard for Ten Hag to find a replacement. But let's see what happens next season.