At the start of the new training week, Bayer coach Xabi Alonso welcomes defender Edmond Tapsoba. Striker Victor Boniface will be on the pitch for at least around 30 minutes.
Back in Leverkusen: Edmond Tapsoba. IMAGO/Moritz Müller
It is common knowledge that he has not forgotten anything. Xabi Alonso can still kick exceptionally. This Monday it became apparent again. Bayer’s head coach put on a yellow shirt and threw himself into the fray. The short passing game was worked on in tight spaces. Tack-tack-tack – a maximum of two contacts per player, counter-pressing after losing the ball, that’s how the league leaders started this training week.
Of course, the training group only consisted of a few prominent professionals – the majority of the squad is still on national team duty and will only return in the next few days.
Tapsoba is back in Leverkusen early
This actually also applied to defender Edmond Tapsoba, who was supposed to face Niger with Burkina Faso on Tuesday, but the 25-year-old left early. Burkina Faso said it accepted a recall request from the Werkself, and so Tapsoba practiced again in Leverkusen on Monday. He can now prepare for Saturday’s home game against TSG Hoffenheim in peace and quiet.
Meanwhile, Exequiel Palacios (after a thigh injury) and Arthur (after thigh surgery) trained individually, ran laps and did a few exercises with the ball. They are also working on their comeback, as is Victor Boniface, with the attacker following his adductor surgery in January This Monday, Xabi Alonso did the passing exercises intensively for around 30 minutes with his remaining colleagues and coach.
Hofmann takes part in the entire unit
The Nigerian then left the pitch as planned and signed a few autographs. The next few days will show how quickly he can get back into the game. It is questionable whether he can make it into the squad against Hoffenheim.
Jonas Hofmann, who had to be substituted with muscular problems against Qarabag Agdam (3:2) in the second leg of the Europa League round of 16 and was then unavailable for action at SC Freiburg (3:2), trained as normal with – from Start to finish. Things are looking good for him at the moment. He fit seamlessly into Bayer’s short passing program. In the middle of it all in the yellow shirt: Xabi Alonso.
2024-03-25 13:33:05
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