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. | Photo: Fuguito/CC-by-SA 3.0 |
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.