Leverkusen were ‘bullied’ early on in Heidenheim win, says Alonso

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso was critical of his team's poor start in their 5-2 comeback win over Heidenheim on Saturday.

The current Bundesliga champions scored two goals in the opening 21 minutes at the BayArena before fighting back to put the visitors under pressure.

The teams went level at half-time, with Patrik Schick completing a hat-trick in the second half to secure their second win in seven league games.

“The first 20 minutes were tough, tough on the pitch and mentally tough,” Alonso told a news conference.

“They bullied us in midfield. We couldn't find good situations.

“Then we managed to find better solutions after the break and we were more stable. That was the key to the better second half.”

It was perfect. pic.twitter.com/j6ZW9vKm81

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) November 23, 2024

Leverkusen is fourth in the Bundesliga, nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich. They improved significantly after Heidenheim striker Marvin Pieringer was taken off the field injured in the 28th minute, having previously suffered from his pace.

“We had a bit of doubt at the start, it was too hectic, we were too nervous,” he added.

“We were able to relax a bit during the break and then we saw a much better second half, with more control and more stability. Mentally we were much better.”

Apart from their poor start, Alonso particularly complimented Schick after the match, saying his perfect hat-trick had helped win the match for the hosts.

Schick has now scored more than three goals in a Bundesliga match for Leverkusen on three occasions – only Ulf Kirsten (seven) has done so more often for the club.

“It was a perfect hat-trick. It's so important for a striker to get into this rhythm, to have that feeling and that we play a lot of games in this time,” Alonso said.