Leverkusen, in second place in the table, welcome FC Bayern for the top match. Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane explains what he wants his team to do and what he expects from them.
Jonathan Tah expressed in one sentence last week what Bayer Leverkusen want to embody this season: “Even though we have more younger players with us, we have grown up as a team. “
The results so far do not speak against this realisation, as does second place in the table. Nevertheless, games like the one against Bayern Munich provide a completely different experience, especially for young professionals. Gerardo Seoane, the coach, classifies this for his players as follows: “Such top matches are immensely important for a development – both of the individual player and of the entire team. In top matches, just like in international matches, there is a different tension, the attention is greater, the media report more. “
“Everyone who doesn’t want to stand still can take something away from such duels. “
GERARDO SEOANE
The Leverkusen coach is convinced that his team will rise to the occasion: “You gain different experience there. It sounds a bit trite, but there’s a lot of truth in it: You grow with your tasks. Younger players probably even more than older ones, but everyone who doesn’t want to stand still can take something from such duels. “
Seoane: “In this match you have to go beyond yourself “
Whether young or older – the coach emphasises what is important for each player individually and for the team as a whole: “Bayern have world-class players and hardly any weak points as a team. Of course, that increases the difficulty of the task. You can’t make many mistakes in these games and you can’t allow yourself any big breaks.” What he demands sounds simple, but will be the basis for making Sunday a success: “In this game, you have to rise above yourself. Individually, but especially as a team. A lot of ways on the field will be necessary, for example, to double again and again, especially in the decisive spaces. Not to forget: Tackling strength, compactness, aggressiveness and the right balance.”
These ingredients should be used to mix the cocktail that Bayern must not taste. In any case, the afternoon will provide the first indication of how far the new coach and his team have come on their way back into the top four of the league.