Expert assumes “arrogance”
Fake injury during Bayer celebrations causes some anger
February 24, 2024, 11:04 a.m
Unbeaten for the 33rd time in a row, Granit Xhaka scores for the first time for Bayer Leverkusen – the Bundesliga table leaders are confidently storming towards their first championship. The Swiss celebrates his goal as if he were in pain. Another coach doesn’t find that so funny.
Granit Xhaka had something to think about for his first Bundesliga goal in more than eight years. “I do that a lot in training when I score,” said the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder about his reaction after the opening goal to give the league leaders a 1-0 lead against FSV Mainz 05. Immediately after his shot in the 3rd minute The 31-year-old grabbed his left thigh – as if he had injured himself.
But when his teammates rushed towards him, the Swiss international took three long lunges and laughed. He was able to continue playing without any problems afterwards. Coach Xabi Alonso reassured other Bayer staff on the sidelines who had watched the scene with more concern and jumped up from the bench. “I think after nine months they must know me. I’m a boy who likes to have fun and it’s not the first time he’s done something like this.”
The former Bundesliga coach Thomas Reis, however, didn’t think much of the campaign. “You take the lead early on, you think: Okay, maybe it’ll work itself out. You saw afterwards that – perhaps with the action – the people of Mainz were woken up again and that it might have been a slight attack of arrogance,” said the former Coach of Schalke 04 and VfL Bochum as an expert from the streaming service DAZN during the half-time break: “I think that you always have to be careful, even towards the opponent.” Just five minutes later, Dominik Kohr equalized for Mainz, and in the end Leverkusen won 2-1 thanks to a goal from Robert Andrich in the 68th minute.
Leverkusen is still undefeated this season
“It’s been this way for weeks,” Xhaka revealed to DAZN after the game: “Even in training, whenever I score, I act as if I have something on my thigh.” Coach Xabi Alonso also confirmed this: “I wasn’t involved, but I know Granit. It wasn’t the first time he’d done that. When the physios arrived, I said: take it easy!”
He wanted to celebrate Xhaka’s first Bundesliga goal since October 31, 2015, when he was still wearing the Borussia Mönchengladbach jersey in the away game at Hertha BSC, with a special gesture: “I’ve been waiting for this goal for so long.” From 2016, Xhaka played for Arsenal before joining Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
For the Werkself, the Friday evening game was not just a reason to celebrate because of the long-awaited goal: with the victory, the leaders in the table temporarily moved ahead to eleven points and once again increased the pressure on their pursuers FC Bayern. At the same time, Alonso’s team remained unbeaten in a competitive game for the 33rd time in a row, something no Bundesliga team had ever achieved before. Munich’s record was 32 competitive games without defeat between December 2019 and September 2020. Leverkusen has been undefeated since the start of the season.
When his team’s impressive record was established, Alonso was actually momentarily satisfied. “It doesn’t interest me until it happens. But when it happens, I’ll be very proud and I’ll never tire of congratulating my players.” And Bayer wants more. “If anyone has the feeling that we’ll just see what happens after 34 match days, then they’re wrong,” said Xhaka: “If we’re up there, we want to stay up there.”