Alonso: “Leverkusen can’t match Atalanta.”

“We didn’t prepare for a bad day, but things didn’t always go as expected,” Alonso said after the match at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. “Leverkusen couldn’t cope with many difficult situations because Atalanta exerted too much pressure. In one-on-one situations, hand-to-hand combat, we didn’t win enough balls in the right positions to take advantage. On the contrary, Atalanta did this very well.”

                                                                                                                                     HLV Xabi Alonso vỗ tay cảm ơn người hâm mộ Leverkusen sau trận chung kết Europa League thua Atalanta 0-3 trên sân Aviva, Dublin, Ireland. Image

In this match, Leverkusen was considered the favorite. The German representative remained unbeaten in 51 matches since the start of the season, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year Bundesliga dominance and aiming for a historic treble. Atalanta, on the other hand, was fifth in Serie A and had just lost 0-1 to Juventus in the Italian Cup final a week ago.

However, Atalanta surprised by dominating the game and securing a resounding victory thanks to Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick. They thus claimed their first major European title and became the first Italian club to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Parma in 1999.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen suffered their first defeat in 361 days. “We couldn’t regain control of the game and find a way to turn it around,” Alonso said. “The unbeaten streak has ended, but congratulations to Atalanta, they deserve it, and there’s nothing more to say.”

Yesterday, Alonso continued to deploy Amine Adli as a false nine, while the two forwards Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick were on the bench – a tactic previously successful for Leverkusen against Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga and both legs against Roma in the Europa League semi-finals. The Spanish coach said he chose the starting lineup based on current form, tactics, and plans to introduce players who can make a difference at the right moment.

                                       Alonso chỉ đạo cầu thủ Leverkusen ở hiệp một, khi đội đang bị dẫn 0-2. Ảnh: bayer04.de

Meanwhile, Atalanta employed an aggressive pressing strategy with the quartet of Gianluca Scamacca, Teun Koopmeiners, Lookman, and Charles De Ketelaere pushing high up the pitch. This approach proved effective as the Italian side took a 2-0 lead just 26 minutes into the game. Alonso admitted to being surprised by the opponent’s tactics and believed Atalanta gained momentum after an early goal. He also criticized Leverkusen for playing too many back passes and suggested they should have played more direct football in the early stages of the match.

“But tactics aren’t the most important thing. Individually and collectively, Atalanta played better,” the 42-year-old coach said, adding that he hopes Leverkusen players will learn from this experience and immediately focus on the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern on May 25th.