Xhaka wants Leverkusen to step up their game against Bayern: "We concede too many goals"

After Bayer Leverkusen's 4-3 win over VfL Wolfsburg last week, Granit Xhaka was very self-critical, saying that the champions couldn't be happy with their performance.

Ahead of Saturday's crunch clash with Bayern Munich, the midfield linchpin elaborated on his criticism in an interview with Sky Germany.

"The most important thing is that we got the three points, but there are just important things that need to be clearly addressed and that just aren't good enough at the moment," Xhaka said.

“We concede too many goals. If you look at how many goals we conceded in the whole of last season and compare it to this season, you'll see that we've already conceded half as many goals as we did in the first half of last season. That can't just happen and that's what I was talking about. We know we have to improve in that area and hopefully we will do that soon.”

Leverkusen fared well against Bayern last season, taking four points from two meetings. But with the Werkself now the defending champions, it could be argued that the pressure is now greater.

"The pressure is not necessarily greater, but different. When you become champions and cup winners, the pressure on our side should be a bit higher, but I have the feeling that we can handle the pressure very well and have the experience to do so," said Xhaka.

“The young players are also doing very well. Playing Bayern in Munich is always special and we're looking forward to it.”

Leverkusen sit second, three points behind Bayern, going into the game.