Xhaka ‘on another level’ under Alonso at Leverkusen, says Honigstein

TNT Sports expert Raphael Honigstein believes that Xabi Alonso has built his Bayer Leverkusen team around Granit Xhaka, who he labels as being “on another level”.

Xhaka, the former Arsenal captain, joined the Bundesliga leaders in July 2023 in a £21.4 million move, signing a five-year contract in North-Rhine Westphalia.

Since his arrival, the Swiss has been instrumental at the Bay Arena, with Alonso’s side leading the German top tier by a staggering 16 points from Bayern Munich, who have won the title in each of the past 11 seasons.

The midfielder has been an ever-present in the Leverkusen line-up, forging a strong partnership with Robert Andrich in Die Werkself’s engine room.

Now, Honigstein has raved about Xhaka’s form, with the TNT Sports expert highlighting Xhaka’s leadership as one of his key attributes.

“We always knew that Xhaka had a big personality,” Honigstein said. “That he was an important dressing room voice and a real leader.

“But now, his football has gone to another level in the last couple of years and I think that is because of the influence of [Alonso and Mikel Arteta] as experienced former central midfielders.

“It is clear that with Alonso playing or taking part in many sessions himself, and still being the best player on the pitch, you can pick up so many things if you’re willing. With Xhaka, I think he’s still very much willing and happy to learn and you could see an improvement.

“I think that there’s a reason why he was captain at Arsenal. There’s a reason why Leverkusen were desperate to get him in. Alonso effectively built a team around him to a certain extent.

“Xhaka has been one reason why they’ve managed to instil this togetherness and real team mentality that the past Leverkusen teams haven’t always been able to produce, because of their nature as sort of a stepping stone for many players.

“He’s one of the main reasons why Leverkusen have now gone from being a very good team to being a superb side.”

Honigstein also gave his thoughts on Leverkusen’s young starlet Florian Wirtz, who has played every league game this season, scoring eight goals and assisting 10 times.

“I think he still has levels to go to, especially with the Euros coming up,” Honigstein said of the 20-year-old.

“He’s in the current setup being a guaranteed starter next to Jamal Musiala who’s just as exciting. People are suddenly feeling a lot more optimistic about Germany’s chances this summer in the past few months.

“Wirtz always strikes me as the kind of guy that doesn’t need too much input, because he’s got this natural ability. My hunch is that he would shine and thrive under any manager, if fully fit.”

Honigstein also said that it would be hard to imagine Leverkusen finally winning the Bundesliga after so many failed attempts.

But now, with Die Werkself’s almost unassailable lead at the league’s summit, that impossibility should soon become reality.

“It’s hard to put into context because it’s unprecedented,” Honigstein explained.

“Leverkusen have tried and failed many times to win the league. They’ve had some wonderful teams in the past. But this year, they are actually getting it over the line when nobody really thought they would be able to do it.

“What’s more, they might do the double, if not the treble. So it really is dream and fairytale land for these supporters.

“Many neutrals won’t have strong feelings about them, because they’re a very small club, in the shadow of much bigger rivals and neighbours. I think they’ve always had a lot of people who appreciated Leverkusen’s commitment to playing attacking football.”