When Bayer Leverkusen face VfL Bochum, they will be up against one of two teams they have managed to beat in the Bundesliga since May 2023. Xabi Alonso is prepared.
For the entire 2023/2024 season, VfL Bochum was the last team to beat Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
It has now been a year and a half since the 3-0 win on the last matchday of the 2022/2023 season, which secured VfL’s place in the league at the time. Since then, Bochum has had a total of four different coaches on the sidelines – the fifth, Dieter Hecking, will follow in the rematch of this duel on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) at the Ruhr Stadium.
Unlike the Werkself, who have since become a top team, won the cup and went unbeaten in the league, VfL are still teetering near the relegation zone. After Thomas Letsch 2022/2023 and Heiko Butscher 2023/2024, Hecking is now supposed to prevent the club from being relegated to the second division in 2024/2025.
Is Alonso worried about a coaching effect? “After the change of coach, the opponents want to change the mindset with the game. We are ready and we know what to expect. They have a clear idea, but I think that with the new coach, one or two things will change,” he said at the pre-match press conference, stressing that there are ‘no excuses’ not to play well, even if the opponent is a ‘strong and intense team.’
Bochum are very dangerous in set pieces and throw-ins, and these small things are crucial
Xabi Alonso
An important factor for the former midfielder? “Staying focused. Bochum are very dangerous in set pieces and throw-ins, and these small things are crucial.”
Especially since Leverkusen are not in the same impressive form as in the previous season in 2024/2025. During the week, they suffered a 4-0 defeat at Anfield against Alonso’s former club, Liverpool. “We are motivated and recovered well after the Champions League game. We want to put in a good performance against Bochum – regardless of where we are in the table at the moment .”
His team is currently in fourth place in the Bundesliga, where things are not going so smoothly either. The tally after nine match days? Only four wins, one defeat (against Leipzig) and a total of four draws.
A starting point? “Our big goal is to improve our concentration and mentality,” said Alonso, and explained: “In the last few weeks, we have not been able to play consistently at the highest level. It’s not enough to be focused for 80 minutes of a game; you always have to be 100 percent on the pitch.”
In Bochum, the Spaniard will have to manage without the injured Jeanuel Belocian, Nordi Mukiele and Amine Adli, who has extended his contract until 2028.