Possibly few would have expected Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen to play for the name of the Bundesliga and yet here they are, with a very genuine chance of winning it all. But how does a team manage to place itself in a race for an unforeseen name?
Robert Huth played an integral part of Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League victory in 2016. For the German, the key was balancing his natural human desire to imagine the future and the discipline to return to the situation at hand.
“I think it’s important that you allow yourself to go to that sort of place, you know, like envision yourself lifting the trophy, to be celebrated by the thousands of fans,” Huth told DW. “You need to drift. You need to imagine all these experiences, how great it would be walking through the door, your kids are buzzing.”
“But it is also vital to return to reality, which is the next educational consultation and the next game,” he stated.
Huth would stick to the 24-hour rule, meaning that win or lose, he’ll be back focused after that period. But the Berliner admits that Leicester’s training technique has also helped him and the team get back to the present.
“Players can dream, that’s their job,” Huth said. “But it’s also the most vital people in the club, like the [physiotherapists], the fitness guys, the conditioning guys, the trainers, they’re the ones that are going to have to bring you back to Earth because if you win a weekend and you’re first, you get there on Monday morning, you’re excited, You think you’re the best, untouchable, but you want the basics.
Leverkusen want that, given that not only are they the most sensible in the league, but they have yet to lose a game this season.
Leicester were in second place at the halfway point, but when they returned to the more sensible zone on matchday 23, they never fell, squandering just one of their last 12 games to gain a notable name via 10 points. Even when they lost, they never wavered and Huth believes this is partly due to the closeness of the group.
“How do you create a strong team bond?It’s not a buzzword in the gym, as if in combination we can fight and win. It comes from above, from the president. With their Thai origins, they are very familiar. . Focused, they make sure everyone participates.
“Building relationships with players outside of football, little things like knowing the names of your teammates’ kids and all that,” Huth said. “It’s weird, I don’t even know how to do it, but it just gives you a little bit more connection. “
The other thing it brings is confidence. Leicester head coach Claudio Ranieri only cared about his players as people, but he also trusted them. Huth admits that, as a pragmatic German, his professional pride has been a big component of the team’s success.
“If I see, for example, Danny Simpson playing an extraordinary game, I need to be just as good. That’s the kind of thing that motivated me. If I could see someone else doing really well on the team, I wouldn’t be able to let them down,” Huth said, adding that that would lead to others doing the same.
It becomes less difficult when a core of actors emerges to set the tone. During their victorious season in the Premier League, Leicester played the same starting eleven thirteen times. In a 38-game season, that might not sound like much, but they are one of only four groups to use an XI that many times in a Premier League season. Interestingly, in all 17 Bundesliga games this season so far, Xabi Alonso has fielded the same starting XI 10 times.
For Huth, it’s clear that having a small core organization that stays injury-free is critical to his success, not only in terms of bonds, but also in terms of his ability to perform on the field.
“Less is more. You have what you have, everyone knows their paintings, and you build relationships. You’re doing those automated things, like you’re betting with someone a hundred times. For example, I knew what Wes [Morgan] was going to do in certain situations. I wouldn’t have to paint over it,” Huth said. When I said to myself on Saturday, ‘It’s true, I’m going to have to lose six feet here, get a 45-degree angle to cover the ball behind, all that kind of stuff. ‘”
In many ways, the two conditions are incomparable. Both groups play in other countries. Leicester have largely avoided injuries and misfortunes such as the Africa Cup of Nations played the same year; Leverkusen face both. Leicester were being chased by Arsenal and Tottenham, the latter of which had failed to clinch the title while Leverkusen were chased by perennial winners Bayern.
And Leverkusen has its past. On the final day of the 1999–2000 season, Leverkusen lost the title on goal difference to Bayern Munich after failing to get the point they needed against Unterhaching. Two years later, Leverkusen missed out on the treble in a matter of a month, and in 2009, Leverkusen and an emerging Toni Kroos went 24 games unbeaten before conceding and losing five of their last 10 games to finish fourth.
But Huth’s attitude sheds light on the underlying elements that all champions tend to have, perhaps crucially perceiving opportunity once it presents itself.
“I’ve played with so many players who never won anything. They played for 17 years and finished eighth, ninth, which is brutal, but that’s a high-level sport, isn’t it?So to be able to jump into that position where you can win, I think that’s the best thing. And we took it, put on a helmet and absorbed all the pressure. I’ve got to win something. I have to spray champagne. It’s literally the luckiest thing.
The only thing left to know is that Leverkusen’s champagne will be on the ice or in the air in May.
Edited by: Matt Pearson