Hložek praises Xabi Alonso! How is his playing style different from his time at Sparta and what did he say about his former club?

Bayer Leverkusen’s performance is on the rise this spring and so is Adam Hložek’s. He scored his second goal for Leverkusen against Bochum. However, in an interview with Livesport News, he not only commented on his current form, but also praised Xabi Alonso. What did he have to say about Sparta Prague?

The end of the autumn part of Leverkusen’s season worked out well. First they convincingly beat Union Berlin 5:0, then they also beat Cologne and Stuttgart.

As a result, Leverkusen moved out of the relegation zone. And having also won the opening game of 2023 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, it was even better.

For Bayer began to fight for the rungs that secure European cups. But the good form needed to be confirmed at home against a not-so-good Bochum.

Leverkusen won 2:0 on their home ground, when Edmond Tapsoba scored first from a penalty and Hložek added a second goal in the 53rd minute to contribute to his team’s victory.

Leverkusen are currently eighth in the Bundesliga table with 24 points after 17 matches. They currently have a two-point lead over ninth-placed Mönchengladbach and are five points behind seventh-placed Wolfsburg.

And Freiburg are seven points behind the sixth place in the cup, the first place.

As we wrote above, this was Hložek’s second goal against Bochum in a Leverkusen jersey, and he also has four assists. However, his team will not have an easy job this weekend. Leverkusen will play another home game on Sunday, this time against Dortmund.

Hložek’s statement

“I think Gladbach and Bochum showed great quality. But it is a fact that Dortmund will be a huge test. It’s a very strong opponent, there will be a great atmosphere in the stadium and a lot of Borussia fans will come,” Hložek said in an interview with Livesport News.

In addition to answering the question of whether Dortmund will be Leverkusen’s first real test of the spring phase of the competition, Hložek also praised coach Alonso.

“We all know what he has done in his career, he is a legend. You can feel from him that he has experienced a lot and knows himself. Every time he gives me advice, it’s always good and it helps me. From the first moment he talks to me a lot, he tries to give me a lot of advice and he makes me feel really comfortable on the field. You can just tell that a big personality has come in. We benefit from it,” he said.

In that interview, he also explained how his style of play differs from when he was at Sparta. And whether it is, in short, much more about defending.

“Definitely yes. The coach keeps telling us that 11 players attack and 11 players defend. Once the opponent has the ball, you notice that we are all under the ball. There’s no way that I, as an attacker, can stay up there and watch the guys defend. And then when we’re all retracted, we can threaten from breakaways,” Hložek explained.

Leverkusen, it should be noted, have conceded 28 goals in their 17 matches so far, while putting 30 accurate shots into their opponents’ net. Hložek also added that he is still following Sparta’s performance in the Fortuna League.

“I don’t think I have missed a single match in the current season. And I’m looking forward to Saturday, when the boys start in Olomouc. I will definitely be watching,” he concluded.

Livesport News, Bundesliga, Transfermarkt