“We are taking blood every morning” - Granit Xhaka hilariously responds after being asked about Leverkusen staying calm before final
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka had a hilarious response to a journalist's question about the calmness in Die Werkself's camp before their crucial Europa League final against Atalanta. Xhaka and manager Xabi Alonso were attending to media duties at the pre-match press conference when the Swiss midfielder made the humorous remark.
Leverkusen are on a staggering 51-game unbeaten streak, which is unrivaled by any other team in the history of football. They have already lifted the Bundesliga title and are set to play the finals of the Europa League and DFB-Pokal this week.
At the press conference, the journalist seemed really surprised by the composed temperament and impressive mental fortitude of the Leverkusen players and asked:
"You don't even look nervous, you look like, okay, we are tomorrow playing another match. How are you doing this type of thing?"
Xhaka comically retorted:
"We are taking blood every morning so... [laughs] We don't even feel it anymore."
Xhaka has enjoyed a stellar season at the BayArena since joining on a free transfer from Arsenal at the start of the 2023-24 season. The Swiss has been one of the most reliable performers for Alonso this season, forming a solid midfield partnership with the equally impressive Robert Andrich.
Xhaka has made 48 appearances in all competitions, with three goals and two assists to his name. His experience and quality have been hailed by his teammates on social media as well as in post-match interviews this season.
Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are on track for a historic invincible treble
Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are on track to achieve a historic invincible treble of titles this season.
Die Werkself sealed their invincible Bundesliga title victory with a 2-1 win over Augsburg in their last league fixture on May 18. Overall, they won 28 games and drew six in the Bundesliga to achieve a total of 90 points, second only to Bayern Munich's 91 in 2012-13.
In the group stages of the Europa League, they scored 19 goals and conceded just three en route to a perfect record of six wins in six games. They qualified directly for the Round of 16, where they took down Azeri side Qarabag FK 5-4 on aggregate.
The Bundesliga outfit beat 2022-23 Conference League champions West Ham 3-1 in the quarters, and the 2021-22 Conference League champions Roma 4-2 in the semi-finals. They now face Atalanta in the final on May 22, with a chance to win the second Europa League title (after their 1987/88 UEFA Cup triumph) in their history.
In the DFB-Pokal, they absolutely dominated lower-tier German sides Teutonia Ottensen, SV Sandhausen, and Paderborn before locking horns with VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-finals.
The Bundesliga champions went down 2-1 in the 58th minute but equalized in the 66th through Amine Adli before Jonathan Tah scored a 90th-minute winning goal to seal a 3-2 victory. They promptly demolished Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-0 in the semifinals and are set to take on 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the final on May 25.