Press voices after injury
“Season broken”: violent criticism of Wirtz opponents
11.03.2025 – 2:58 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Bayer Leverkusen has to do without his star player Florian Wirtz in the decisive round of 16 of the Champions League against FC Bayern. The national press discusses how difficult this failure weighs.
Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes for a football miracle against FC Bayern Munich suffered a bitter dampers: Florian Wirtz is missing. The 21-year-old exceptional player sustained an inner ligament injury in the right ankle in the 0-2 defeat against Werder Bremen on the last Bundesliga matchday and will have to pause for several weeks. Bremen’s Mitchell Weiser had previously fouled Wirtz hard.
He thus misses the second leg against the German record champions in the premier class. For coach Xabi Alonso, the failure after the 3-0 bankruptcy in the first leg is another difficult blow. But the coach is combative: the team now wants to win for Wirtz. The German press landscape evaluates whether this can really succeed. An overview:
“Time”: “Thank you very much, Mitchell Weiser! Throughout the year, a Werder torments with irrelevant kicking, and then the Bremen defender also breaks the anticipation of the last big German football duel of the season. With a strong kick on the base, this fashion foul recently rewritten TV reporter, because of the reprint of the tunnels, glossy with ‘stamping’.”
“Rheinische Post”: “The violation of Wirtz, undoubtedly the heart and brain of the Bayer offensive, could also turn out to be additional motivation. The 21-year-old was cleared by Bremen’s Mitchell Weiser Mäde, followed on Monday the bitter diagnosis, which results in a week-long failure of the key player.”
“N-TV”: “Now Wirtz is trapped in football. Before the most important game of the season. Leverkusen could hardly get any worse.”
“SPOX”: “Without Wirtz, the Leverkusen team looks more unimaginative and harmless than in the last season. With nine goals and twelve assists, the 21-year-old puts the top scorer of his club and takes third place behind Omar Marmoush and Harry Kane.”
“Kicker”: “Wirtz ‘failure is a deep stroke a few hours before a game that had already had a decent mood dampers in the first leg.”