Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso lamented his side’s failure to hold onto a first-half lead at 10-man Atletico Madrid, who fought back to beat them 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, saying his side lacked the maturity to cope with the pressure.
Alonso said his young team can be informed of the defeat as the scene with direct elimination approaches, with Leverkusen seeking to succeed in the last 16 with a upper end for a playoff series.
After seeing their 11-game winning streak end in Madrid, they are currently sixth in the standings with 13 points having been leapfrogged by Atletico who are now third on 15.
“I think when you’re competing at the highest level you have to learn from these experiences,” Alonso told Movistar Plus.
“In those situations, it is not just football that counts, it is also the adulthood we have at that time and today I think we do not have this point at the highest point and we will have this if we need to compete in those matches.
“We’re still in the organization phase in the game itself, but the power of the game, it reads the game and tells us what to do when you’re a little hit by the situation, how to react.
“It’s very easy to say it but the best thing is when you live it on the pitch that’s where you learn how to read it, which sometimes is complicated. For us it’s a good experience to be competing at such a high level.”
Last season’s German double winners host Sparta Prague in their final Champions League first phase game next Wednesday.
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