Xabi Alonso admits Milan ‘caused a lot of problems’ to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, but he appreciated the ‘maturity’ of the team in that situation and got Alvaro Morata’s shirt.
The Rossoneri had a game of two halves, as they were pinned back and dominated with nine shots on target and eight Mike Maignan saves, beaten only by the Victor Boniface tap-in on the rebound from a parried Jeremie Frimpong effort.
However, that woke them up and they poured forward for the entire second half, hitting the crossbar with Theo Hernandez and Morata turning the rebound wide in a 1-0 result.
“I think it is great news that German football is competitive,” Xabi Alonso told Sky Sport Italia after the strong start in the Champions League for Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
“It was a great result against a Milan side that really caused us a lot of problems, so we had to alternate between when we were in control and when they took the initiative.”
Xabi Alonso hails Leverkusen maturity against Milan
By the end of the match, the statistics show that Milan had 52 per cent possession and 17 total attempts to 16, even if the Germans still had more on target.
“Our first 60 minutes were really good, but towards the end we felt some fatigue caused by Saturday’s game against Bayern Munich. We also showed spirit and character to hang in there.
“This is the Champions League, you must be able to fight hard and show team spirit, not just play beautiful football. This is an important step for us.”
Was it a psychological aspect too when Bayer Leverkusen dropped a gear after finally taking the lead?
“I think we struggled a lot because with so many chances and only one goal, perhaps we dropped back a bit too quickly. That is something we need to improve. Many players were also tired after Saturday and we were running out of steam, but the team was mature and focused.”
Xabi Alonso was asked if he got the jersey after the final whistle from his fellow Spaniard Morata.
“Yes, he gave me the shirt when he was at Juve and now he’s at Milan too.”