Latest news with #BayernLeverkusen
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Confirmed lineups: Mainz vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Sitting in sixth place, Mainz head into the final matchday of the season against dethroned champions Bayer Leverkusen with the aim of securing a European spot. With just about an hour to go before kick-off at MEWA Arena, the lineups have been announced and can be seen below. Confirmed Mainz vs. Bayer Leverkusen lineups: Mainz: Zentner – da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen – Caci, Kaishu, Amiri, Mwene – Nebel, Burkardt, Lee. Bayern Leverkusen: Hrádecký – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Tella, Palacios, Aleix García, Grimaldo – Hofmann, Schick, Wirtz
DW
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- DW
Germany defender Jonathan Tah's Ivory Coast connection – DW – 06/03/2025
Jonathan Tah is one of the best defenders in Europe and a fixture on the national team. The 29-year-old spoke to DW about his career and his connection to his father's homeland. If Jonathan Tah suddenly decided to retire, he could already look back on an accomplished career. Seen as one of the best defenders in Europe, Tah played a key role in Bayern Leverkusen's unprecedented double of winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2024. "As of now, I've done everything I can to be the best version of myself," Jonathan Tah told DW at the German national team's training camp in Herzogenaurach. "But of course, I can and want to always get more out of myself." Tah again performed at his consistently high level this past season, winning 65% of his tackles and completing nearly 94% of his passes. Such stats weren't lost on Bayern Munich, who swept in to sign the defender for the coming season. Hard work pays off Becoming a regular on the national team didn't come easy for the Hamburg native, who made his debut in early 2016 under then-national team coach Joachim Löw. However, he wasn't called up for any major tournaments after that. It's only since Julian Nagelsmann took over as Germany coach that Tah has become a fixture in the central defense, alongside Antonio Rüdiger. Jonathan Tah got his first call up to the national team in 2016 Image: Federico Gambarini/dpa/picture alliance "It's like life," there are always a few ups and downs," said Tah, who always believed in the value of hard work. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but it was logical that at some point it would pay off." Credit to Alonso He credits Xabi Alonso, his coach at Leverkusen, with helping him get to where he is now. "He said I needed to maintain that focus and concentration in every game to be able to consistently deliver that level of performance at that high level." Tah signed his first professional contract with Hamburg at the age of 17, but they gave up on him, selling him to Leverkusen in 2015. Jonathan Tah is a favorite among the fans Image: IMAGO/Harry Koerber "I think talent probably brought me to Leverkusen. But everything that came after that was hard work," Tah said. "In the end, you can only reach your full potential if you work hard, not if you rely solely on your talent." Off the pitch, Tah likes to spend time with his wife, his friends and his dog, "It's good for me to step out of the role of 'Jonathan Tah, the professional footballer,' and into the role of husband and friend, not even talk about football at all." 'I felt a lot of love' One of his other passions is travel. Last month, he made a trip to a place that is particularly close to his heart as his father was born there, Ivory Coast. "The last time I was there, I was 14 years old. I wanted to visit my grandmother again and see what had changed in the country," he said. "Many said they were proud of me and of what I had achieved with Leverkusen. I simply felt a lot of love from the people. It was a very nice experience." Filled with pride Tah was impressed by how "football-mad" African fans really are. "They simply love this sport, and you can feel this passion," he said. "It's a different country, a different culture, and yet people still support you. That fills you with pride. I believe I can inspire and motivate people." Even though it was only a short trip, meeting with ordinary people in the West African country made an impression on Tah. "It was extremely grounding for me and my wife," he said. "It makes me think: 'What kind of problems do I actually have here? Are these really problems, are these legitimate complaints? Or is it actually nonsense to worry about little things?'" Tah plans to visit his father's homeland more often in the future, but now his focus is back on football and Germany as they take on Portugal in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League at his future home ground, the Allianz Arena, on Wednesday. Not only Germany fans will be pulling for him. This article was originally published in German.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conor Bradley's driving factor at Liverpool will see him embrace the challenge next season says Michael O'Neill
Michael O'Neill says Conor Bradley is driven by his opportunity to play rather than contracts as the Tyrone man prepares for a big season ahead with Liverpool. With Trent Alexander-Arnold heading out the exit door at Anfield, Bradley has the opportunity to nail down the right back spot as his own even with the impending arrival of Jeremie Frimpng from Bayern Leverkusen. Arne Slot has shown his faith in the Northern Ireland international by tying him down to a new long-term deal with the Premier League champions but O'Neill insists it will be minutes on the pitch that Bradley will appreciate more. READ MORE: Conor Bradley points to family sacrifices as he prepares to lift Premier League trophy READ MORE: Who is Hazel Stewart and what is The Secret TV show about? "I know they have been keen for Conor to extend his deal for quite a while," he said. "Conor's not driven by contracts he's driven by opportunity to play and that's quite refreshing in the modern game. "Having that stability will help him but he's driven by minutes and he wants to make sure he will get as many minutes as possible for Liverpool. "He wants to play in the big games at Liverpool. He comes here, he's played in the big games and captained the team and I think you see that in his performances here. "He's got a challenge on his hands at a club like Liverpool, but it's a challenge I think he's more than ready to meet and he's more than capable of establishing himself as a regular player there." Bradley, who has been named in Northern Ireland's squad for next month's friendlies against Denmark and Iceland, faces a different challenge following with Alexander-Arnold expected to leave and Frimpong set to come, but O'Neill said the 21-year-old knows there will always be competition at a club like Liverpool. "Conor's not stupid. He's playing, arguably, in one of the top three teams in Europe, they've won the Premier League and won it convincingly," he said. "You have to expect competition and Conor knows that, whatever form that comes in. "When you're at a club like Liverpool, you have to expect that. And as a lad, Conor's not fazed by that. He knows that if he wants to play at that level, he's going to have to play with that competition throughout his career. "He provided that competition for Trent but he was trying at that point in time to dislodge a player that was very, very established at the club, a much-loved player and a player that had been very successful at the club," he added. "I think whatever happens now at Liverpool, that competition will be different because it will be a newer player coming into the club if they choose to do that, but Conor's already proven that he's ready to step up. I think you see that the manager there more than trusts him."
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Xabi Alonso poised for Real Madrid job after club confirm Carlo Ancelotti's exit
Real Madrid have finally announced that Carlo Ancelotti will not continue at the Santiago Bernabéu after the Brazilian Football Confederation announced him (CBF) as their new coach. He will be replaced by Xabi Alonso. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who publicly revealed that he would not be continuing in Germany last Friday, will formally begin on 1 June in time for the Club World Cup, while Ancelotti joins Brazil on 26 June, the day after the end of the Spanish league season. An agreement to bring Alonso to the Bernabéu was made after Madrid were defeated by Arsenal in the Champions League, although he had long been identified as the replacement for Ancelotti, who departs as the most successful coach in the club's history having won 15 trophies, including three Champions Leagues, two league titles and two Copa del Reys over two spells in charge. In a statement confirming Ancelotti's exit, Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, said: 'Carlo Ancelotti is now forever part of the great Real Madrid family. We are proud to have enjoyed a coach who has helped us achieve so much success and who has also represented the values of our club in an exemplary manner.' Alonso will arrive at Madrid having won the league with Bayern Leverkusen, breaking Bayern Munich's decade-long stranglehold of the title. His backroom staff have not been confirmed but he will bring his assistant Sebastián Parrilla and fitness coach Alberto Encinas. Real Madrid's fitness coach Antonio Pintus, who came during Zinedine Zidane's spell and whose relationship with Ancelotti had become strained, may not continue at the club. The goalkeeper coach, Luis Llopis, will do. Ancelotti had previously negotiated with the CBF in 2023 on the shared assumption that Madrid would probably sack him at the end of the season. Madrid won the Copa del Rey and he continued; the following season he won the Champions League. The CBF have had three coaches since then – Ramon Menezes, Fernando Diniz and Dorival Júnior – and maintained contact with Ancelotti. This spring they once again applied pressure on him to take over. The Italian had always insisted that he would not walk away from Madrid nor force a departure but that he would accept any decision they made on his future, and they would be the ones to decide. But he knew that Madrid had turned their attention to Alonso and welcomed the opportunity to take the Brazil job. For all parties the difficulty had not resided so much in Ancelotti's departure or Alonso's arrival but in the timing of the takeover, finding the right way to say goodbye. Had Madrid reached the Champions League final, their season would not have closed until 1 June, and the Club World Cup begins less than two weeks later, with an international break in between. Ancelotti's contract had a year and a month left to run, expiring in 2026, with those years beginning on 1 July. Madrid had been reluctant to go to the Club World Cup with an interim manager, while the Brazilian Confederation had wanted Ancelotti to take over in time for the qualifier against Ecuador on 6 June and his home debut in São Paulo against Paraguay four days later. Paul Clement will be among his assistants. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Ancelotti had told the CBF that he could not publicly commit while Madrid's season was still alive. With pressure building on the CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues, Brazil announced Ancelotti's appointment a day after Madrid had been beaten 4-3 in the clásico, virtually but not mathematically ending their chances of winning the league. The following day, Ancelotti gave his prematch press conference before their La Liga meeting with Mallorca, in which he avoided confirming when the deal to join Brazil had been done and admitted that there were things he could not yet say because he was still the Madrid coach. The club, meanwhile, maintained their silence until now.
Daily Record
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Florian Wirtz gives Liverpool an indicator of his transfer decision with Rangers gripe amid 'undignified' Bayern wait
The highly-rated attacker is at the centre of a signing race - with the English and German champions battling it out Bayern Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz is at the centre of the summer's first transfer saga - and his Rangers experience could give a clue to his ultimate destination. Liverpool have made clear their admiration to the 22-year-old's camp and reports in Germany suggest that an "astronomical" offer is on the table from the Premier League giants. However, Bayern Munich have also made the versatile attacker their key target for the summer after regaining the Bundesliga title last term. But Arne Slot's side may be on the back foot in the signing race - with Wirtz previously bemoaning the British weather during a visit to Ibrox. During a mid-season friendly back in December 2022, the prospect made his return from injury for Leverkusen against Michael Beale's Gers side. And an irked Wirtz vented his frustrations of the cold conditions that meant his "lungs were sore". Speaking after the 3-0 defeat, he said "I'm exhausted and I am not in a good mood because it was a very disappointing game for us. "I'm just not used to playing in a match like that because I've been out for nine months. "And because it was so cold in Glasgow, my lungs are actually sore and it was hurting to breathe. But my knee felt good. It's just the cold that hurts me. "It was good for me to be back on the pitch and I must continue to work hard. We all know we can play much better than that as a team. As the game went on, I realised how important it was for me to be back on the pitch." While Merseyside may boast warmer temperatures than Glasgow, it could offer an early indicator that the German international would prefer to remain in his homeland this summer. Kicker report that the rising talent will "likely make a decision within ten days at the latest" over his next destination. That has sparked criticism from some in Germany with Bayern legend Stefan Effenberg stating in his weekly t-online column that the wait was "undignified". He also urged him to make a move to either Manchester City or Real Madrid - who are also said to be monitoring the situation. Effenberg wrote: "The future of Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz is still unclear. "After he already seemed to be on his way to FC Bayern, Manchester City is now reportedly also in the race for the national player, and Real Madrid is still considered a potential target. "I say: A move to City or to the 'Royals' (Madrid) would perhaps be even more beneficial to his career. "Because both clubs have now had a disappointing season by their standards and want to attack fully again next year, especially in the Champions League - probably with many expensive reinforcements. "And that, after all, is the one title that Wirtz is still missing. He has already won everything in Germany. "However, I think it's a shame that there has still been no official statement from the Wirtz side about the direction in which things could go. "So all sides - clubs, fans, the public - remain in the dark for far too long. This is tiring and not appropriate to the situation "If Wirtz, who is supposed to have tended towards Bayern, now suddenly changes his mind again, that would also be a very bad sign. "This undignified fiddling around doesn't help anyone, especially not himself. He should finally make up his mind and communicate it openly - it's for his own good."
