Leverkusen: Player Disputes Will Not Overshadow Preparations for Bayern Clash
Bayer Leverkusen has downplayed the significance of the disagreement between forward Victor Boniface and teammate Emiliano Buendía, which occurred near the end of their 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The dominant win by Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions, demonstrated that they are ready for their big clash against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16 next Wednesday.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso does not want the final moments of the Frankfurt match to overshadow the outstanding performance his team delivered in their last game before facing Bayern. He stated: “These things can happen.”
Boniface was frustrated when he and Buendía collided during a late scoring opportunity in stoppage time. He complained to Buendía and pushed him, prompting his teammates to calm him down immediately. After the final whistle, Alonso also followed Boniface on his way to the dressing room.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Alonso said: “I talked to Boniface. He wanted to take the shot. We will stay calm and talk again on Monday.”
Alonso preferred to focus on the positive aspects of the performance, as Nathan Tella, Nordi Mukiele, and Patrik Schick scored three goals within eight minutes of the first half, putting Leverkusen in control of the match.
He emphasized that “the team, the performance, and the result” were the key takeaways from the game, describing it as good preparation for the Bayern match on Wednesday in Munich and again six days later in Leverkusen.
Leverkusen has already eliminated Bayern from the DFB-Pokal this season, and Alonso remains unbeaten against Bayern in six matches since taking charge of Leverkusen in 2022.
However, he acknowledged: “We are not the favorites. We must have great respect for our opponent. They are the best team in Germany.”
Still, he added: “We are in a good moment, and we will try to give our best.” Granit Xhaka, who delivered an outstanding performance against Frankfurt, stated: “I think we are stable enough to cause Bayern some trouble.”
