FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - FC Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen - RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany - March 3, 2024 Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and Florian Wirtz celebrate after the match REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo
(Reuters) - Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was full of praise for Florian Wirtz after the German international scored twice in his side's 5-0 win over RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Wirtz was named player of the match for the fourth time in this Champions League season as he helped Leverkusen get their European campaign back on track following a 4-0 defeat by Liverpool and a 1-1 draw at Brest.
With the German champions sitting fifth in the 36-team table, the Spaniard expects his side to secure a spot in the next round, giving the 21-year-old more opportunity to shine.
"We want to help Florian Wirtz. We know how different he is for us. We have to find him at the right moments. We need to have a good structure to help him. This competition is for him. He is a Champions League player," Alonso told reporters.
"Hopefully we can go through to the next round. For Florian, he wants to have a big game. A big game is the best thing for him."
Alonso hopes his side can extend their good run in the Bundesliga and rediscover the form that helped them win the domestic double last season.
However, the former Spain midifielder also pointed out that there is still room for improvement in their performance.
"We did very well against Salzburg today. We want to build on that against Union (Berlin) on Saturday and maintain the level we have set ourselves," Alonso said about their upcoming Bundesliga fixture.
"There are still ups and downs. We weren't great, but we weren't very bad. But I think there's still room for improvement. We can do better," he said.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
