UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Season

[hahay]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

More precisely, if Mourinho fails this season, it seems that Mourinho will not get a contract extension, but not about fired. Because after all, if AS Roma fires Mourinho then at least AS Roma can do it before his contract ends. So yes, because Mourinho is still under contract until the end of this season, it looks like AS Roma will give Mourinho time to serve as head coach of AS Roma until his contract ends, and maybe that is also a form of respecting their contract.

After all, at least Mourinho also succeeded in bringing AS Roma to win trophies during his coaching period. Even though AS Roma only got the Conference League trophy, at least the trophy was a good result compared to nothing at all.

However, regarding AS Roma's next match, it looks like it will be a difficult match because after all, AS Roma will play against Atalanta in Serie A and then AS Roma will play against Lazio in the Coppa Italia, and after that AS Roma will play again in Serie A against Milan. With a schedule like this, I personally am quite sure that AS Roma will probably lose, but yes, I hope AS Roma can still hold Milan to a draw in that match later.

[reagansimms]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

Yes that is true, but we ahve to think As Roma before him was a total mess, always not reaching high level football, i know a lot of tifossis are feeling not so good because they think this season with this team with big names is gonna be diferent, but seems like they can be lucky if win some title.

The Mourinho effect has made Roma perform better before he arrived. Roma is increasingly developing under Mourinho with his experience while coaching several other big teams. Roma development with Mourinho still requires quality improvement to compete with other big clubs, under Mourinho Roma is increasingly being taken into account in this competition. But I still doubt he will be able to make Roma win the UCL trophy because they have to compete with big clubs like Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. If Roma manages to win the Europa League title this season it will be a matter of luck because Roma quality is still less strong than other favorite clubs.

[udidrone]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

Do you think Roma management will blame Mourinho for Roma's failure? I do not think so because Roma couldn't bring in the players Mourinho wanted so Mourinho's plans were hampered the situation would be different if Mourinho could bring in the players he was targeting. Even if Mourinho has to move next season it won't be because of his failure but because he wants to find a better club and with sufficient financial support, Roma is currently having financial problems which impacts their performance. We can see with the arrival of Lukaku Roma performance is slightly better and imagine if they could bring in more players.

[Docnaster]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

Yes Mourinho will probably decide his own fate whether he will be retained by AS Roma or not, based on what he can do and give to AS Roma this season. Last season they reached the final and were beaten by Sevilla in the process.
In Serie A they are still very difficult to compete at the top, even to break into the top 4 will be something difficult for them. It seems that Mourinho has not found the right formula for this club, because repeatedly he always shows inconsistency which ultimately makes it difficult for them to compete.
I think the time given to him is enough, I admit there are changes, but the changes are not enough to make them on the path to becoming champions, especially in Se

Jose Mourinho is in his third season with Roma and a lot of people are of the opinion that he will have to win at least one trophy this season to be able to secure a contract extension with the club but in my personal opinion, I think the Portuguese will still remain at at Roma beyond the season even if he doesn't win any major title this season. Mourinho is one the best managers in football history to have managed Roma and the management of the Italian club isn't even planning on sacking him anytime soon.

That being said, it's also very clear that Mourinho is one manager that always wants to win as many trophies as possible and was able to reach last season's UEFA Europa League final before they were defeated by Seville and would also want to reach that state again this season but will want to go one more step further by winning the trophy for his Roma club

[Jody.Drummer]

Yes Mourinho will probably decide his own fate whether he will be retained by AS Roma or not, based on what he can do and give to AS Roma this season. Last season they reached the final and were beaten by Sevilla in the process.
In Serie A they are still very difficult to compete at the top, even to break into the top 4 will be something difficult for them. It seems that Mourinho has not found the right formula for this club, because repeatedly he always shows inconsistency which ultimately makes it difficult for them to compete.
I think the time given to him is enough, I admit there are changes, but the changes are not enough to make them on the path to becoming champions, especially in Se

I think Mourinho already achieved more with Roma than he had in his mind when he came here but his desire is still to win Scudetto with Roma as this team kinda forgot how it feels to become champions and same goes for the other team Lazio ....because somehow neither of these two has won Serie A in the last decade... . However , I think Roma needs some fresh players here and there in order to have a proper team who could fight for title next year but until then they need to find a way to save this season and catch at least a top 6 for European spots ( even if it is Conference League it will be great for them ). 

I agree, they still need to add strength by bringing in new players who will bring fresh air to them. The reason is that the squad they currently have has not been able to show anything extraordinary, their defense line is weak, their midfield is playing ordinary, and the front line is not showing anything special. Maybe one of the factors that makes Mourinho dificult is this.
However, they are slowly bringing in new plyers in the last transfer window, and that has had a good influence in my opinion, like for example when they brought in Dybala. They need an injection of players like that, who have good abilities in their respective positions. And I think the midfield should get more attention, because the team's balance is there.

[tusandii]

Currently, the opportunities are still very equal between one team and another in the European League, but when we look at the strengths of each team, of course there are many people who do not doubt the quality of the players that Liverpool has. However, we also shouldn't forget about the strength that Leverkusen currently has because in general the players at Leverkusen are still quite united and enthusiastic in fighting for victory in whatever league they play in this season.

Liverpool may experience a little set back when one of their key player will be leaving for the African cup of nations, he happens to be that one person who gives their game a different effect when he's present but then I'm hoping Liverpool will get an adaptive mechanism to solving that as it may in a way affect their chances at the Europa.

Leverkusen may use that opportunity to further strengthen their dominance this season in the Europa and this doesn't mean I'm trying to underestimate Liverpool but then I'm looking at possible chances of such happening if things goes otherwise, regardless of such, it will be really foolish for Leverkusen or AC Milan to undermine Liverpool because if they do then they may be giving more edge to Liverpool to winning the league unknowingly to them because Liverpool knowing that they are already behind will do much to get ahead.

It is worse that what you mentioned here. It is not only one or two of their key players. Leverkusen is quite unlucky about all the players that have to leave the team for the African Cup. I think it is a handful of players, maybe five or six and all of them are important. This is really not the best timing for Leverkusen as they have had a wild ride during the first half of the season. I am curious to see how Leverkusen will cope with this situation, but if they can handle this, I think they are ready to handle all the problems they could be facing during the season.

In fact, this will indeed be a very difficult situation for Leverkusen to lose several important players, but it all depends on Xabi how he will overcome this problem and if he is the one who has had a big influence on Leverkusen's success, he certainly has other plans to maintain his performance so as not to lose the match next.
But at least we have to be sure that this problem can be solved by this great coach, even though he has to compete without important players, but there are always many ways for coaches to maintain the stability of their club and we will see later whether Leverkusen will get new players from the transfer market or just using backup players.
We don't need to worry and I really agree with what you said, if Xabi able to resolve this condition and continue to perform as usual, I will believe that Leverkusen is a strong candidate to hold the UEL trophy.

[wiss19]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

More precisely, if Mourinho fails this season, it seems that Mourinho will not get a contract extension, but not about fired. Because after all, if AS Roma fires Mourinho then at least AS Roma can do it before his contract ends. So yes, because Mourinho is still under contract until the end of this season, it looks like AS Roma will give Mourinho time to serve as head coach of AS Roma until his contract ends, and maybe that is also a form of respecting their contract.

After all, at least Mourinho also succeeded in bringing AS Roma to win trophies during his coaching period. Even though AS Roma only got the Conference League trophy, at least the trophy was a good result compared to nothing at all.

However, regarding AS Roma's next match, it looks like it will be a difficult match because after all, AS Roma will play against Atalanta in Serie A and then AS Roma will play against Lazio in the Coppa Italia, and after that AS Roma will play again in Serie A against Milan. With a schedule like this, I personally am quite sure that AS Roma will probably lose, but yes, I hope AS Roma can still hold Milan to a draw in that match later.

We have no doubt José Mourinho doing good job at the Roma with winning Conference league and losing Europa League final on penalties are impressive work from him even they have no good success at Serie A but still Roma fans love him and want he stay but for the better view we have to wait until 30 June with he is planning for Saudi League, and we have few other news as well like PSG and Newcastle United are also looking for his services in case of they will fire their current coaches.

Their next three matches are challenging, and their away form is also not ideal in domestic leagues which are surely problem for them and things can go out of the way for them as well they are already having seventh spot which is not good, and they need to be more realistic if they want to have better results which are not easy with Atlanta, Roma and Napoli these all are on decline have not good chance for jumping into UEFA connection events.

[Weawant]

Liverpool has more potential, notably Salah, who is amazing. Liverpool benefits greatly from his superior skills. We shouldnt underestimate Leverkusen. Unanimity and excitement often decide close contests.

Football is more than player quality on paper, though. It depends on their performance, team relationships, and luck. Injuries, form, and teamwork matter. Leverkusen's perseverance and teamwork may match Liverpool's individual skill. Sometimes the team with the most stars loses to the one that plays well.

Salah is very likely to Miss most of their Europa and premier league games, just as seen this evening he wasn't amongst their team that played the FA Cup, he has go back to his country team where he will be participating in the AFCON  which will last through few months before he will be hoping to get back to Liverpool but then the season must have gone too far if not almost finished.

Before now I was of the opinion that the absence of Salah would affect Liverpool and their performance greatly but then by their performance to night at the FA Cup, it shows that they are very likely to cope even in his absence but then it will affect their chances of getting to win the Europa title this season, they may struggle at some point because they. Will not be able to score more goals as they usually do before so Leverkusen may look even more promising then they will appear now but then both team still have equal opportunity at winning the trophy this season at this point.

[Marvell1]

It is a really important season for Mourinho for sure as he is in his last year of his contract with Roma. If there is no proper improvement then he will probably get sacked.

Therefore the Europa League is also extra important for Mourinho. Roma reached the finale in the previous season but got eliminated dramatically against Sevilla. Mourinho was really angry with the referee Anthony Taylor as well as you can remember. Mourinho must be seeing it as an incomplete job now so he would be ambitious for the title here. But to be able to reach the finale again they need to play much more extra than now. 

More precisely, if Mourinho fails this season, it seems that Mourinho will not get a contract extension, but not about fired. Because after all, if AS Roma fires Mourinho then at least AS Roma can do it before his contract ends. So yes, because Mourinho is still under contract until the end of this season, it looks like AS Roma will give Mourinho time to serve as head coach of AS Roma until his contract ends, and maybe that is also a form of respecting their contract.

After all, at least Mourinho also succeeded in bringing AS Roma to win trophies during his coaching period. Even though AS Roma only got the Conference League trophy, at least the trophy was a good result compared to nothing at all.
...

Actually, I think anybody would like Mourinho in their team. If you ask me, I will say AS Roma is doing good. Mourinho did bring them the Uefa Conference League trophy and looks like they will probably finish in the top 6 in this series right now. I think the only reason they are underperforming right now is due to injury. You know, 2 of his most important players, Lukaku and Dyabla were injured recently and thus they were losing some games. But I believe they will come back.

[marcous]

The Mourinho effect has made Roma perform better before he arrived. Roma is increasingly developing under Mourinho with his experience while coaching several other big teams. Roma development with Mourinho still requires quality improvement to compete with other big clubs, under Mourinho Roma is increasingly being taken into account in this competition. But I still doubt he will be able to make Roma win the UCL trophy because they have to compete with big clubs like Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. If Roma manages to win the Europa League title this season it will be a matter of luck because Roma quality is still less strong than other favorite clubs.

I quite like Mourinho leadership at Roma, he managed to improve the squad mentality to fight like a champion team, we knew before Morinho arrived that Roma was very far from any trophy. However, I feel that Roma could have finished as group winners yesterday, without having to fight more to get through the play offs so they could reach the round of 16.

It's true, Roma are not the favorites in the Europa League, because there are still teams like Liverpool and Lerverkusen who have better attributes than them. The consistency of the two teams is also very stable, Roma have not yet reached their level. Competition to become a strong candidate will be fiercer, the entry of a team from UCL adds to this dynamic.

Roma will travel to Feyenoord headquarters to finish their business in mid-February, I think Roma can beat them. Morinho will try his best to give his best, because his contract will expire at the end of the season. Lukaku is a player who is expected to make a difference, his loan from Chelsea was not in vain at all.

[Abu-Naim]

Actually, I think anybody would like Mourinho in their team. If you ask me, I will say AS Roma is doing good. Mourinho did bring them the Uefa Conference League trophy and looks like they will probably finish in the top 6 in this series right now. I think the only reason they are underperforming right now is due to injury. You know, 2 of his most important players, Lukaku and Dyabla were injured recently and thus they were losing some games. But I believe they will come back.

Jose Mourinho is a good coach and has keep on with his leadership qualities even when coaching teams like Roma, he led the team to Eefa Conference League Victory last season, and now trying his best to see what he can do in the Europa League.
Injuries affected their performance that is why they are not yet in the top five teams of the Seria A table, but Dybala is back from injury and has already scored one goal in their ongoing match against Atalanta, I think they will soon bounce back to compete for the Europa League title together with Leverkusen, Liverpool, and others.

[Google+]

Actually, I think anybody would like Mourinho in their team. If you ask me, I will say AS Roma is doing good. Mourinho did bring them the Uefa Conference League trophy and looks like they will probably finish in the top 6 in this series right now. I think the only reason they are underperforming right now is due to injury. You know, 2 of his most important players, Lukaku and Dyabla were injured recently and thus they were losing some games. But I believe they will come back.

Roma have lost balance in their game this season and this has been caused by several of their players having long-term injuries. Mourinho does not have a stock of players who can cover the weaknesses in the team so we see their performance relatively decline this season. But they still have a good chance in the European league this season because as runners up last season I think Roma will be able to advance to the round of 16.
Well, at least Lukaku and Dybala can appear in their best form when Roma face Feyenoord in the last 16 play-off round.

If Roma can qualify for the round of 16, I'm sure the players' motivation will be even more enthusiastic to repeat like last season, namely being able to reach the final. Mourinho is certainly a coach who has quite good characteristics in managing a team and I think he will be able to bring Roma to victory in two legs in the play off round against Feyenoord.

[fullhdpixel]

I think Mourinho already achieved more with Roma than he had in his mind when he came here but his desire is still to win Scudetto with Roma as this team kinda forgot how it feels to become champions and same goes for the other team Lazio ....because somehow neither of these two has won Serie A in the last decade... . However , I think Roma needs some fresh players here and there in order to have a proper team who could fight for title next year but until then they need to find a way to save this season and catch at least a top 6 for European spots ( even if it is Conference League it will be great for them ). 

Mourinho done good job with available sources even winning Scudetto is not coming even in next season because we have lack of funds which are hurting few clubs, and they are not able to do things which are important for them like Lazio is having second round of Champions League but their current performance in not good, and they are not near for having chance of staying into top five like Roma which are also slipping and with lack of consistency and quality.

Roma having good coach but their consistency and quality are still problem which needs few quality players and this needs funds with are not available for these few teams and these are fail to keep their spot at the top now it's time for them to think and regroup themselves for having better results in UEFA with Roma can go for another final even it's not easy, but all opportunities are possible for them.

[tbterryboy]

Milan are a very unpredictable team this season. Their Champions League performance is a good example for that. And I can't say they are very good at maintaining a title race in the Serie A either. 

But when it comes to Roma I think that they have more potential in the Europa League. I'm saying this depending on their last performances in the Europa Conference League and Europa League in the recent seasons. They are really a competitive team in these tournaments. They reached the finale with Mourinho in the Europa League last year and it wouldn't be surprising to see them there again this year.

But with Milan joining the Europa League play-offs after they were eliminated from the UCL. This means that competition in the European League will certainly be much more difficult than last season. Liverpool will probably still be the favorites. Because even now I believe Liverpool is still superior to all the teams in the European League at the moment.

Meanwhile Roma and Milan may be almost evenly matched. And even though AC Milan is clearly superior in Serie A, we can expect more from AS Roma in the European League. Because Mourinho always proves that Roma always play well and can achieve good things in the Europa League as he has proven in previous seasons.
Meanwhile, AC Milan seems like they haven't given up on the title race in Serie A. Even though they are already quite far behind on points from Juventus and Inter Milan.

AC Milan is surely having good edge with their improved performance which is keeping them at the top ranks, and they can do much better in coming matches as well even they are eliminated from the Champions League but things still favouring them for doing good now they are going to face Rennes for the spot into round of 16 which is quite possible for them to win and go through even few are feeling they can jump into last four as well which is not easy but possible in current conditions.

AC Milan is having good squad even like few other top Italian clubs they are also lacking funds but still good job and enough chances for the win into Europa League now having 6 points difference from the fourth spot team Fiorentina which mean they can stay into another hunt for the Champions League into next season which can make things good for them and improved finances as well.

[QueenVera]

There will be so many players to join in AFCON soon. The main problem if leverkusen is going to face bayer munich as the main problem soon. This match is very important for the club caused by leverkusen will be playing without the main squad.
Im concerning about how strong the munich's squad. It will be a hard match for leverkusen and i expect the team to lose against bayern caused by it will able to perform with the best line up soon.

There is still problem happened in the leverkusen and xabi is very confusing to get the best replacement for the club. Im wondering what line up that is going to be used by him. Im not expect leverkusen to win against bayern munich with  huge margins.
Playing at home is going to be the opportunity for leverkusen and the match in europa league will be also very important as well. There will be so many rotations to happen in leverkusen due to the AFCON.

There are so many clubs were also losing their best players to play at AFCON.

Well the AFCON’s effect in Major European League is about to play out in the German League. Leverkusen who are topping with over 4 points have most of her players going to the AFCON and they’ll be facing Bayern Munich who are so into the title chase. Of course we all know what the outcome of the match would be, if the players they feature are not up to the standards of those who left for the AFCON tournament.

 Yes, This will be a tough one for Leverkusen but with Xabi on the wheels I trust him to be able to get something off this match. I think Xabi will be anle to set up his team before the match so as not to be found lagging behind. This AFCON is seriously affecting European football and I think both bodies can come together and find a way around this so as to reduce the effect of players leaving their clubs.

[rahmad2nd]

AC Milan is surely having good edge with their improved performance which is keeping them at the top ranks, and they can do much better in coming matches as well even they are eliminated from the Champions League but things still favouring them for doing good now they are going to face Rennes for the spot into round of 16 which is quite possible for them to win and go through even few are feeling they can jump into last four as well which is not easy but possible in current conditions.

AC Milan is having good squad even like few other top Italian clubs they are also lacking funds but still good job and enough chances for the win into Europa League now having 6 points difference from the fourth spot team Fiorentina which mean they can stay into another hunt for the Champions League into next season which can make things good for them and improved finances as well.

At the very least, AC Milan must win their battle when they host Rennes in the Knockout phase. Likewise when they visit Roazhon Park, Rennes' home ground.  because these two teams have a fairly obvious gap. Since Milan won over Newcastle in the Champions League Group phase, Pioli's squad started to progress by winning 5 matches in various competitions. Meanwhile, Rennes remains in middle place in its domestic league. So, on paper, Milan has the possibility to advance to the next round. Well, the real challenge after Milan overthrew Rennes. We will see how much Milan will struggle after being eliminated in the Champions League group phase.

But the problem is, what I said is still just assumptions and speculation. when the playoffs are held, we will know which team will win the battle. Even though Milan is above Rennes in terms of quality, that doesn't mean Rennes will let them be beaten easily. at least, there will be resistance that they put up. Therefore, Pioli and his squad cannot underestimate Rennes. Moreover, in football anything can happen. So let's just wait before this match takes place, because so far we have only talked based on assumptions and speculation. Moreover, it is still too early to talk about which team will win the Europa League trophy, because each club will prepare its team to play to show its best version. although, there are several teams that are strong candidates as challengers for this League trophy.

[Agbamoni]

Arsenal in FA Cup since winning the competition in 2020:

2021: Knocked out in the fourth round by Southampton ❌

2022: Knocked out in the third round by Nottingham Forest ❌

2023: Knocked out in the fourth round by Manchester City ❌

2024: Knocked out in the third round by Liverpool ❌

Seriously Arsenal team is struggling so hard to win matches these days. Quite obvious it is another year of no trophies for Arsenal. What the team need is total liberation and restoration.

[Oluwa-btc]

There will be so many players to join in AFCON soon. The main problem if leverkusen is going to face bayer munich as the main problem soon. This match is very important for the club caused by leverkusen will be playing without the main squad.
Im concerning about how strong the munich's squad. It will be a hard match for leverkusen and i expect the team to lose against bayern caused by it will able to perform with the best line up soon.

There is still problem happened in the leverkusen and xabi is very confusing to get the best replacement for the club. Im wondering what line up that is going to be used by him. Im not expect leverkusen to win against bayern munich with  huge margins.
Playing at home is going to be the opportunity for leverkusen and the match in europa league will be also very important as well. There will be so many rotations to happen in leverkusen due to the AFCON.

There are so many clubs were also losing their best players to play at AFCON.

Well the AFCON’s effect in Major European League is about to play out in the German League. Leverkusen who are topping with over 4 points have most of her players going to the AFCON and they’ll be facing Bayern Munich who are so into the title chase. Of course we all know what the outcome of the match would be, if the players they feature are not up to the standards of those who left for the AFCON tournament.

 Yes, This will be a tough one for Leverkusen but with Xabi on the wheels I trust him to be able to get something off this match. I think Xabi will be anle to set up his team before the match so as not to be found lagging behind. This AFCON is seriously affecting European football and I think both bodies can come together and find a way around this so as to reduce the effect of players leaving their clubs.

I think the only major African leaving for that African Cup of Nations Competitions has to be Victor Boniface alone, he is the only Nigerian and major African player from that first team leaving.
Xabi Alonso I believe made his experiment on that game and how it'll look like when a player like Victor Boniface leaves for the next one month and possibly holidays whenever he returns.

Winning the Bundesliga League Competition is something most people are eager to see not just myself, they have to show they're better than Borrussia Dortmund who was there until the last game of the league only to finally bottle things up disgracefully.

[shogun47]

In fact, this will indeed be a very difficult situation for Leverkusen to lose several important players, but it all depends on Xabi how he will overcome this problem and if he is the one who has had a big influence on Leverkusen's success, he certainly has other plans to maintain his performance so as not to lose the match next.
But at least we have to be sure that this problem can be solved by this great coach, even though he has to compete without important players, but there are always many ways for coaches to maintain the stability of their club and we will see later whether Leverkusen will get new players from the transfer market or just using backup players.
We don't need to worry and I really agree with what you said, if Xabi able to resolve this condition and continue to perform as usual, I will believe that Leverkusen is a strong candidate to hold the UEL trophy.

This would actually shift too much of the burden into the hands of Xabi Alonso. I think if a lot of players are absent because they have to play or want to play for their national teams, every coach has limited options and solutions to problems. When people say that it all depends on Xabi Alonso now, what can he even do when so many of his most important players are gone for an extended period of time? What would other coaches do when several of their most important players are gone?

Some of the clubs have high quality players sitting on the bench, but compensating for several absent top players is difficult. No matter how good you are as a coach, but there are limits when compensation of missing players is necessary.

[Palakka]

This would actually shift too much of the burden into the hands of Xabi Alonso. I think if a lot of players are absent because they have to play or want to play for their national teams, every coach has limited options and solutions to problems. When people say that it all depends on Xabi Alonso now, what can he even do when so many of his most important players are gone for an extended period of time? What would other coaches do when several of their most important players are gone?

Some of the clubs have high quality players sitting on the bench, but compensating for several absent top players is difficult. No matter how good you are as a coach, but there are limits when compensation of missing players is necessary.

If several players want to play for their national team, it will have quite a bad impact on Leverkusen because they need their core players to remain in their best form. Like Boniface, of course he is an important part of Leverkusen progress this season and he will defend his country in the African Cup which could be Xabi Alonso task to find the right replacement for the position left by Boniface. Sometimes situations like this can have a bad impact on their performance because new players certainly need to adapt to their game so it will be quite difficult for Xabi Alonso for the second half of this season.

It looks like there are 4 players who are defending their national team and Xabi Alonso must be able to cover the 4 positions left by his players because he is defending their national team. If Xabi Alonso doesn't find the right player, it could be that their performance will decline drastically this season and will also have a big impact on their target of becoming champions this season. We know he is a great coach, of course he can rotate the squad to maintain balance when they are not reinforced by a number of their main players.