Bundesliga News

Leverkusen boss:
Bailey is in a tough phase

By Rune Gjerulff   @runegjerulff

Bayer Leverkusen boss Simon Rolfes says Leon Bailey needs to fight himself out of a 'tough phase' to return to his stunning form of last season.
Leon Bailey.
Leon Bailey.Photo: Fuguito/CC-by-SA 3.0
During the 2017/18 season, Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey made his breakthrough in the Bundesliga. Scoring nine goals and making six assists in 30 Bundesliga games, the 21-year-old impressed with his pace, quick feet, nifty dribbling and unpredictability.


This, however, season has been entirely different. Bailey hasn't played with the same ease and confidence as he did in last season and has thus lost his spot in Leverkusen's line-up. Until now, he has just scored one goal and made one assist in 19 games in all tournaments.

The way out of a crisis is certainly not easy, and Bailey now has to work his way back step by step, says Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes.

"I experienced something similar as a player. Leon is an instictive footballer who loves doing things intuitively. He's in a tough phase that he has to fight himself out of," Rolfes told Kicker and added:

"With a successful experience, a goal, it might go faster for him."

Bailey was handed a rare start in Saturday's 1-0 win over Augsburg, but failed to impress. On Thursday, he's likely to be given another chance in the line-up for the Europa League game against AEK Larnaca as Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich are expected to hand some players a rest.


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