According to sporting director Simon Rolfes, the new coach Xabi Alonso made a lasting impression on Bayer Leverkusen after just a few days.
The players would “of course listen carefully to the former world-class footballer,” said Rolfes on Sky. Especially when dealing with the young professionals, the 40-year-old shows “a lot of feeling, a lot of quality” and brings in the “experience from his own career”.
The former world and European champion is a “very pleasant guy” and “uncomplicated” in dealings, revealed Rolfes – but Alonso is not lacking in ambition: “He knows what he wants, what he is concentrating on.”
After just a few training sessions, the successor to the released Gerardo Seoane “brought good input to the team”, the managing director praised: “But we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”