Bayer Leverkusen's Leon Bailey: "We're ready for Gladbach"
Bayer Leverkusen may have endured a disappointing season so far, but jet-heeled winger Leon Bailey is nevertheless confident and raring to go under Peter Bosz when his side host third-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 18 on Saturday.
"Everything's different now," the Jamaican told kicker of life at the club under the new head coach. "We have to change a lot of things very quickly."
The 21-year-old will be hoping one such change will include more appearances in the starting line-up, having featured from the off just eight times in the Bundesliga so far this term after struggling to recapture the form that had him terrorizing defences throughout the 2017/18 season.
"It's important to have the ability to adapt quickly," Bailey continued, keen to impress Bosz and regain his berth on the right wing, with Karim Bellarabi often preferred there prior to the winter break.
"I think we've done that very well so far. The coach is very happy with the players' performances right now. There's still a lot to do but we'll do it as quickly as possible. We're ready for Mönchengladbach and have the confidence to play them."
That may well be easier said than done, however, as Gladbach – who won the reverse fixture 2-0 on the opening day of the season - are flying high in third on 33 points, just three behind Bayern Munich. Leverkusen, by way of comparison, are down in ninth on 24 points.
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And while Bailey is determined to help rectify that and help the club push for European qualification, he is taking a step-by-step approach: "As a young player the most important thing is to get game time. That makes me feel better and then I start to feel like myself again. If you work hard, are focused and keep believing in yourself, everything else will follow."
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