You ain’t seen nothing yet, says Leverkusen coach

BAYER Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said his unbeaten side was “not done yet” after winning their debut league title on Sunday with a treble still possible this season.

Leverkusen’s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen at home on Sunday, including a second-half hat-trick from Florian Wirtz, sealed a first Bundesliga title in their 120-year history.

Alonso – who is in his first full season as a coach having joined Leverkusen midway through last season – said after the game that the sky was the limit for his side, who have not lost a match in 43 games this season.

Soaking wet with beer after his players surprised him during the press conference, the 42-year-old manager reminded everyone that, “it’s not over yet”.

“We'll see how far we can go. I have a good feeling about it,” he said.

The win sent Leverkusen 16 points clear of Bayern with five games to go, meaning they cannot be caught. Their points total of 79 is the best after 29 games in German football history.

Leverkusen are through to the final of the German Cup and have a 2-0 lead after the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final with West Ham, with the second leg to take place on Thursday.

“It’s not over yet and we’ve got great goals we still want to achieve. But we can think about that on Tuesday. We need to celebrate, he said.

Alonso promised in late March to stay at Leverkusen another year, despite reported interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Alonso, who retired after a glittering playing career with Liverpool, Bayern and Real Madrid, said his experience was an advantage working with players.

Leverkusen have finished second on five occasions, but had never broken through for a German title, but their win broke an 11-year run of Bayern dominance. |