In the concluding segment of his pre-final press conference for the Europa League, Xabi Alonso, the Spanish, German and English-speaking manager of Bayer Leverkusen, reflected back on his language-learning journey that started at Kells, Co Meath at the tender age of 14. He also recalled the strong bond with Ireland that developed during his time at Liverpool. Bayer stands merely two matches away from a flawless season.
Their second-to-last game will be played at the temporarily renamed “Dublin Arena” on Lansdowne Road, coming Wednesday night. Gratitude is due to Alonso, notwithstanding the incessant call from Liverpool for his return, who pledged his allegiance to Bayer for the upcoming season too. The inaugural Bundesliga champions seem to have already outperformed.
As their last challenge of the season awaits them in Atalanta, the Bayer supporters who have travelled from Leverkusen have their sight set for nothing less than winning the €8.7 million worth prize money. The opportunity to achieve an exceptional triple does not come every day, especially if they can secure success in Saturday’s cup final against FC Kaiserslautern at the Olympic stadium, Berlin, which is also set to host the Euro 2024 final in July.
The fact that over 20,000 football fans have travelled all the way from Italy and Germany to Dublin for the final gives its enormity, underlining the significance when interpreted bearing the 160,000-population of Leverkusen and of Bergamo, around 120,000.
Journalists across the globe decided to engage in an inclusive Q&A session with Alonso, not limiting their questions to game-related topics only. Reflecting on Toni Kroos’s announcement of his imminent retirement from Real Madrid and Germany post-Euros, Alonso conveyed his agreement, viewing the decision as apt as Kroos would finish his career on a high, having freshly played a Champions League final and also representing Germany in the Euros.
“Toni is recognised as an exceptional player, an idol, a role model, who has had a significant impact on a generation. I didn’t have much opportunity to play with him, but I competed against him a lot, and he’s a formidable player.” This was the introduction given by a journalist from Nigeria before he insisted, representing his entire country, to find out the reason why Victor Boniface isn’t guaranteed a starting position. “He’s returning from an injury so we have to handle him with care…but assure Nigeria that we are extremely pleased with him.”
The session comprised of participants from England, Finland and Greece, all striving to discover the magic formula responsible for Xabi Alonso’s team 51-match unbeaten streak and more. “We have an established game strategy, it’s adaptable, can be adjusted, but we’ve had this approach since last year. Football is highly dynamic. The tactics are just a snapshot, the actual game is the entire film.”
It’s beneficial for Bayer in their quest for an unbeaten season that Atalanta have already secured their spot for the following season’s Champions League, occupying the fifth Italian place. Simultaneously, their coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, has expressed worries about “engaging in three matches every week.”
The Italian side has already suffered significant losses; their captain, Marten de Roon, limped off the pitch during last Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final against Juventus due to a knee injury. With de Roon, the Dutch midfielder, now part of Gasperini’s coaching staff after unveiling on social media that “the most critical week of my career turned into the worst nightmare.”
This statement resulted in a slightly unsettling yet touching response from Atalanta supporters, who hung an enormous banner outside de Roon’s house which expressed: “Loyalty, sacrifice and a relentlessly sweaty jersey. De Roon, you’ve already earned your trophy.”
“It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me why I am devoted to Atalanta and Bergamo city,” de Roon expressed.
In his absence, Berat Djimsiti, the Albanian team captain, will take the lead, and the towering central defender quickly delegated media duties to his injured teammate.
“Up to this point, Bayer has had an impeccable season,” claimed de Roon. “I wouldn’t say they’re deficient, but every team is vulnerable. They seem invulnerable and frequently make late-stage comebacks. We need to have faith in our football ideology and pressurize them in order to triumph.”
Having served his suspension, Gianluca Scamacca is all set to come back and spearhead the attack for Atalanta. His journey back into Serie A has been remarkable, tallying up a massive 18 goals, with six of those in European matches, despite an initially underwhelming €30 million transfer to West Ham United for the 2022/23 season being impaired by injury.
Gasparini has heaped praise on Scamacca, describing his progress as a big leap forward. He highlighted Scamacca’s uniqueness as a central striker and expressed his disappointment about the absence of Marten; both as team captain and for his monumental contributions to Atalanta. It’s regrettable for him to miss out on this vital European final match.
Gasperini went on to point out the challenges of maintaining top form while playing three matches each week and the enormous number of matches that we’ve played. He empathised with the Bergamasques, recognising their significant monetary and time sacrifices as they have travelled throughout Europe to support us.
Victories at Anfield and in Marseille have certainly assisted our campaign. He acknowledged the difficulties for the Bergamasque in travelling to Dublin and expressed the team’s intention to give them a reason to cheer.