Xabi Alonso says Bayer Leverkusen are driven by self-confidence in their ability to win games ahead of the Europa League final.
Leverkusen are chasing the second trophy in a potential treble against Atalanta in Dublin on Wednesday, with the DFB-Pokal final against Kaiserslautern to follow on Saturday.
The Bundesliga champions became the first German team to go unbeaten on their way to the title and are currently on a 51-match run without defeat in all competitions.
Alonso is taking charge of his first European final as a manager, but he believes his team will draw on the experience they have already gained this season.
Our self-confidence keeps driving us on. We know that we can produce goals until the final minute, he said in his pre-match press conference. That s a huge development that the team has made this season.
From the start of the campaign, we believed in our brand of football and that s right at the heart of this successful run.
We ll prepare like we did for all the games before. We haven t lost in 51 games, so my boys know how to adapt to different situations. That also applies to the final.
One last session together before the ! |
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en)
What matters above all tomorrow is mentality. We have a game plan, but the players still have that wonderful atmosphere from the title celebrations on Saturday, and we want to tap into that.
Alonso is the youngest coach to manage a men’s European final since Roberto Di Matteo oversaw Chelsea’s Champions League victory in 2012.
He will also become just the fourth person to play in and manage a major European final this century after also playing in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals with Liverpool.
Reflecting on his time at Leverkusen, Alonso said: I was so young in this coach career, so when I was offered the Leverkusen job, so it was let s go, let s see what happens .
In one year and a half, so much has happened; it has been a great experience, and it has only been a year and a half, but we have made so many right decisions.
I think we have great chemistry. The mentality we have shown throughout the year has been fantastic. I am really enjoying it.
