The journalists from CBS Sports, the New York Times, The Guardian, Associated Press and Transfermarkt as well as representatives of the German Football League (DFL) spoke to Spaniard about his start at Leverkusen and his close connection with the Bundesliga. In addition, Xabi Alonso shared insights into his football philosophy, his way of coaching and communication with the players. The 41-year-old also provided an honest assessment of the change of role from player to coach. There was also great enjoyment when the discussion covered a shared view of tactical matters.
Despite the successful start to the season and being in top spot in the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso also stressed in the discussion that the previous weeks and months have been demanding and that he has learned a lot since he started as a coach at Bayer 04 in October 2022. The Spaniard was particularly grateful for the great support from the Bayer 04 club management, the shareholders committee led by Werner Wenning, the staff and the fans.
The itinerary for the journalists from the USA and England also included interviews with CEO Fernando Carro and sporting managing director Simon Rolfes plus a tour of the BayArena and a visit to the VAR HQ in Cologne.
Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on matchday 14 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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