"Last season is gone" - Granit Xhaka prepares for title-winning pressure at Bayer Leverkusen
Granit Xhaka admits that his move from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen was perceived, at least in England, as a "step back". A year on, and the midfielder is desperately seeking improvements on an invincible double-winning campaign.
Signed from the Gunners in the summer of 2023 after a redemption arc that saw him go from a spurned captain to one of the title challenger’s most important players, Xhaka is used to stepping up when it looks like he’s already reached his peak.
“For me it wasn't a step back, but rather two steps forward,” he reflected a year on when talking to media at Leverkusen training camp in Donaueschingen. “Because I had the exact feeling, during discussions with the coach [Xabi Alonso] and with Simon [Rolfes, managing director], that something special could happen here in the next few years."
Watch: Xabi Alonso's historic season at Leverkusen
To say something special happened may well be deemed an understatement. Not only did Leverkusen go on to win their first ever Bundesliga title, they did so in unprecedented and unbeaten fashion.
Only Alejandro Grimaldo made more appearances than the Swiss metronome’s 50 last season, in a campaign in which Die Werkself also added a second-ever DFB Cup to go invincible domestically.
There was, however, a UEFA Europa League final defeat to Atalanta, and Xhaka is sure more are coming, which is working as extra motivation.
"The performance was almost perfect last season,” he said. “Sure, you can play like that one year, you can win a title one year - but we want more. I'm convinced that we'll lose a game too. But of course we want to be up there and that's definitely our goal.
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“The coach said that very clearly in the first training session: ‘What happened is gone. We can't buy anything with that this year. New season, new competition’. Everyone should give it their all, make life as difficult as possible for him to select the starting XI.
“We don't need to think about what happened but what is in front of us, and in front of us is now pre-season, the friendly games, and of course the first one game, and we are looking forward for that.”
Helping them do that will be three key new signings in Martin Terrier, Aleix García and Jeanuël Belocian, filling up a position each up front, in midfield and in defence. Thankfully for Leverkusen fans, there has also been a distinct lack of departures too, meaning with UEFA Champions League football back on the menu, Xhaka believes: “We now have the quality in the team for that. With the new players, we can rotate a lot.”
There is also Alonso himself, with Xhaka freely admitting to bundesliga.com that the coach turned down interest from other sides. “It shows the character he has," the midfielder said reflecting on a summer of speculation. "I mean, to have these offers and still to stay with us, to believe in this team that we can go to the next step is more than was expected from him. For sure he will do the step one day, this is clear because he's the future of coaching, but we are very happy that he's here. We are very happy that we can train under him and that he can improve us day by day.”
The Bundesliga is where Xhaka made his name. Starting out at Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2012 to 2016, he returned seven years later with Leverkusen, and is now ready to defy his critics once more and take things to another level domestically.
"The Champions League is a dream for every player,” he explained. “And for me it is of course important to play in the Champions League again after seven years.
Watch: Martin Terrier joins Bayer Leverkusen
“But the championship is still the priority. The Champions League is nice, but we have very clear priorities. For me, the marathon with the Bundesliga is a bit more important than the Champions League.”
For the first time in their history, Leverkusen now enter a Bundesliga season as defending champions, and have a target on their back after ending Bayern Munich's 11-year reign at the top of the table.
RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have also restocked too, and Switzerland’s all-time top appearance holder admits things are ramping up.
"The pressure is definitely higher, we have to be aware of that,” he said. “Every single player, the staff, the club too. The expectations have definitely increased, but that’s also thanks to us.
"We obviously want to be able to handle the pressure well. That also requires us, the experienced players, to pull the young players along. Not that we think: ‘now everything will run by itself’. Instead, we have to do more than last year."
And how does Xhaka plan to lead Leverkusen through their next stage? Well the plan is simple, but it’s one that’s proved effective so far.
"We have to improve every day so that we can compete up there. Complacency must not set in. Xabi Alonso conveyed this message right from the start,” he said.
“Of course we have our goals. In the Champions League too, but last year the ‘motto game-by-game’ always worked well. And that will not change this year, either."
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