Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso lamented his side's failure to hold onto a first-half lead at 10-man Atletico Madrid, who fought back to beat them 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, saying his side lacked the maturity to cope with the pressure.
Alonso said his young team can learn from the defeat as the knockout stage approaches, with Leverkusen looking to reach the last 16 directly with a top-eight finish to avoid a playoff.
After seeing their 11-game winning streak end in Madrid, they are currently sixth in the standings with 13 points having been leapfrogged by Atletico who are now third on 15.
🗣️ Xabi's thoughts on tonight's #UCL defeat in #AtletiB04 pic.twitter.com/JCfr4CcXLD
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 21, 2025
"I think when you're competing at the highest level you have to learn from these experiences," Alonso told Movistar Plus.
"In these situations, it's not just football that counts, it's also the maturity that we have at that moment and today I think we lacked that point at the highest level and we have to improve that if we want to compete in these matches.
"We're still in the group stage but if you're in the round of 16, in the quarterfinals, especially when you play away from home, you have to learn from these moments, understand what it is that you need, not only in the game itself but the game's energy, reading the game and learning what to do when you're a bit overwhelmed by the situation, how to react.
"It's very easy to say it but the best thing is when you live it on the pitch that's where you learn how to read it, which sometimes is complicated. For us it's a good experience to be competing at such a high level."
Last season's German double winners host Sparta Prague in their final Champions League first phase game next Wednesday.