Alonso on the Bundesliga's global reach: "Everyone in the Seychelles knows about Leverkusen."
Among other things, Alonso shared how his experience on holiday in the Indian Ocean demonstrated how his club and the Bundesliga brand in general has proliferated broadly.
Embedded with Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen at their training camp in the Black Forest town of Donaueschingen, German footballing journalist Stephan van Nocks had a chance to speak with B04 trainer Xabi Alonso on a variety of topics. The Leverkusen correspondent for Germany's Kicker Magazine conducted the first extensive interview with the Spanish head-coach since the DFB-Pokal victory over 1. FC Kaiserslautern in May.
Van Nocks' full interview with Alonso is set to be published in Kicker's Thursday print edition. Excerpts were nevertheless published on Kicker's website Wednesday evening. The 42-year-old offered up candid views on some tough questions, including the high expectations after last year's double. Alonso also an amusing anecdote to share regarding his summer holiday. Evidently, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen global brand is growing exponentially.
On the increased expectations and the fight against complacency after the double:
"There certainly will be [high expectations], But we mustn't let expectations get the better of us. We have to concentrate on ourselves, on our football, on our mentality, on the way we perform. If we stress ourselves, it becomes difficult.
"That will probably be the biggest challenge for us. Not taking it for granted that we'll win in our opening Pokal fixture. But that's my job, to keep this hunger alive so that everyone feels the pressure. And not to talk too much about the past."
On the biggest rivals in the Bundesliga:
"Definitely the usual suspects: Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund. There's also Stuttgart. They've lost important players. But I really like the way they play. Their ideas are very good, the coach is very good. And they are intelligent.
"Their last year was exceeded all expectations, but I'm not ruling them out. For me, they were one of the best teams in Europe. Not just in Germany."
On the unresolved matter of Jonathan Tah's transfer to Bayern:
"I'm planning with Jonah because he's so important to us. On the pitch, off the pitch, his influence is, he's developed a lot. That's my idea at the moment. But I'm not turning a blind eye to the situation. Let's see what happens. He's totally focused, a top professional. I have no reason to complain."
On the title chances:
"I don't think it makes sense to talk about what will happen in May. It's about what will happen in August. Because the better we start, the better we might finish in May. There are many foundations that we have. But these basics will probably not be enough."
"We need to add something, we need to refresh, we need to add a few other things. The level of last season probably won't be enough. We need to develop and get better."
“This year is a different level. It's also a responsibility, but it's good for us, it's good for the club. The club is perceived very differently. I see it in Spain. I see it when I go on vacation: everyone knew Bayer Leverkusen.
"I was in the Seychelles and everyone knew about the season and what had happened. That makes the club, the brand, even bigger."
The current roster and new additions:
“We have a good squad and some good new signings. They raise the level. I can't say at the moment that there won't be any changes. We are ready for what could happen. At the moment, I'm happy with the players we have."
"The way they [our new signings] played at their clubs doesn't differ much from our expectations. They will be able to adapt quickly to our team. Aleix [Garcia] and Martin [Terrier] are ready to make a direct impact. And Jeanuel Belocian is hungry."