Since last week, coach Xabi Alonso has been encouraging fans that Exequiel Palacios can get fit in time for the Bayern game. Now the Argentine is also flirting with it, although the risk is considered (too) great. A race against the clock or just a bluff?
There is a big question mark behind his name: Exequiel Palacios. IMAGO/Sven Simon
Before the summit with Bayern Munich, only a few personal details are open on Leverkusen’s side. While there is at least a question mark over the suitability of a number of Bayern’s players, the league leaders’ line-up is relatively easy to predict, with the exception of perhaps one position.
In attack, Amine Adli, who celebrated a strong comeback with his goal to make it 2-2 in the Cup quarter-finals against Stuttgart (3-2) after returning from the Africa Cup, could possibly slip into the starting line-up. Variant 1: for Jonas Hofmann, who has recently not been in top form, on the right front in a 3-4-3. Variant 2: for center forward Patrik Schick, who is unsurprisingly slacking a bit at the moment after a break of over a year and now five starting eleven appearances in a row this calendar year.
Palacios is flirting with a possible assignment
Otherwise everything seems clear when it comes to Xabi Alonso’s first team. If it weren’t for the Causa Exequiel Palacios. His use has been ruled out since his serious thigh injury, which he suffered on matchday 18 in Leipzig (3-2). Or rather: valid.
Since last Friday, Xabi Alonso has been encouraging fans that the Argentine world champion could return to retirement on Saturday after he had started running training again.
On the Monday before the Stuttgart game, the Basque confirmed this assessment and Palacios himself flirted with a possible assignment to kicker on Tuesday evening after the game. He has already trained with the ball. Will it be enough until Saturday? “Stay calm,” was the 25-year-old’s answer.
A deployment would be risky
So is it really a perfect landing for Palacios? It is said that an operation would come too early and would be risky, even too risky. On the other hand, the training on Wednesday, which was originally announced as public, was moved to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at short notice so that it could not be followed by external observers.
A measure to hide Palacios’ progress or exactly the opposite? Namely, so as not to reveal that the six-man team isn’t quite ready yet and will therefore surely fail against Bayern? There is a lot to be said for the latter option.
It would really be a perfectly staged bluff that the table leader staged for the summit meeting. On Friday last week, athletic trainer Daniel Jouvin came with Palacios to the training field in front of the BayArena. The Brazilian always only comes onto the pitch with previously injured players when integration into team training is imminent. If you only need to make your first attempts at walking, someone from the physiotherapist department will usually take care of this.
Plus the two encouragements from Xabi Alonso as well as the flirtation from Palacios and the canceled public training on Wednesday. It is hardly possible to create more fog around this personality. If he goes wrong, Palacios’ name should not appear on the score sheet for the Bayern game.
2024-02-08 10:37:54
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