Xabi Alonso Commends Florian Wirtz For Outstanding Performance In Champions League Victory Over Salzburg

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Bayer Leverkusen's head coach, Xabi Alonso, expressed satisfaction with Florian Wirtz's outstanding performance in their 5-0 win against RB Salzburg. Wirtz, a Germany international, scored twice and was named player of the match for the fourth time in five Champions League games this season. This victory was crucial for Leverkusen after a 4-0 loss to Liverpool and a 1-1 draw at Brest.

Alonso highlighted the importance of supporting Wirtz, acknowledging his unique contribution to the team. "We want to help Florian Wirtz, we know how different he is for us. We have to find him at the right moments. We need to have a good structure to help him. This competition is for him, he is a Champions League player," Alonso stated. Currently, Leverkusen holds fifth place in the 36-team league, with Wirtz tied for second among top scorers with five goals.

Alonso hopes that Tuesday's performance will boost their Bundesliga campaign, where they sit fourth despite winning only once in their last four matches. Reflecting on their domestic double win last season, Alonso acknowledged room for improvement. "We did very well against Salzburg today. We want to build on that against Union [Berlin] on Saturday and maintain the level we have set ourselves," said Alonso.

The coach noted that while there are fluctuations in their performance, there's potential for growth. "There are still ups and downs. We weren't great, but we weren't very bad. But I think there's still room for improvement. We can do better," he added.

Alonso remains optimistic about advancing to the next round of the Champions League and believes big games are beneficial for Wirtz's development. "Hopefully we can go through to the next round. For Florian, he wants to have a big game. A big game is the best thing for him," Alonso remarked.

Leverkusen aims to carry forward their momentum from the Salzburg match into upcoming fixtures as they strive to improve consistency and performance across competitions.