Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and his Bayer Leverkusen counterpart Xabi Alonso on Friday joined the growing chorus calling for action on player workload, amid talks of strikes.
"It may have looked pretty easy, but it's really not," Alonso told reporters after his team cruised to four first-half goals to break the Dutch resistance.
Bayer Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten Bundesliga run came to an end in their last game and manager Xabi Alonso hopes the short time he has had with his players will be sufficient to get back to winning ways.
Granit Xhaka praised his side's "pure mentality" as Florian Wirtz's goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time snatched a 3-2 win for reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen at Borussia Moenchengladbach in Friday's Bundesliga opener.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Thursday that Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga title favourites this season, despite his side's incredible league and cup double last campaign.
Eyebrows were raised when Xhaka arrived from Premier League runners-up Arsenal at the start of last term, with Leverkusen coming off a fifth-placed finish and with rookie coach Xabi Alonso preparing for his first full season as a first-team head coach.
"What we did in the last 10 or 15 minutes, with a man down, to score the equaliser -- it was unbelievable," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said after the match, praising his side's "huge spirit".
Vincent Kompany was officially presented as Bayern Munich's new coach on Thursday, insisting he did not share the football world's surprise at his appointment.
Bayer Leverkusen's German league and Cup double was the result of players keeping faith in the team throughout what turned into a dream season, their coach Xabi Alonso said on Saturday.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and his Bayer Leverkusen counterpart Xabi Alonso on Friday joined the growing chorus calling for action on player workload, amid talks of strikes.
"It may have looked pretty easy, but it's really not," Alonso told reporters after his team cruised to four first-half goals to break the Dutch resistance.
Bayer Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten Bundesliga run came to an end in their last game and manager Xabi Alonso hopes the short time he has had with his players will be sufficient to get back to winning ways.
Granit Xhaka praised his side's "pure mentality" as Florian Wirtz's goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time snatched a 3-2 win for reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen at Borussia Moenchengladbach in Friday's Bundesliga opener.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Thursday that Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga title favourites this season, despite his side's incredible league and cup double last campaign.
Eyebrows were raised when Xhaka arrived from Premier League runners-up Arsenal at the start of last term, with Leverkusen coming off a fifth-placed finish and with rookie coach Xabi Alonso preparing for his first full season as a first-team head coach.
"What we did in the last 10 or 15 minutes, with a man down, to score the equaliser -- it was unbelievable," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said after the match, praising his side's "huge spirit".
Vincent Kompany was officially presented as Bayern Munich's new coach on Thursday, insisting he did not share the football world's surprise at his appointment.
Bayer Leverkusen's German league and Cup double was the result of players keeping faith in the team throughout what turned into a dream season, their coach Xabi Alonso said on Saturday.
Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday in their first defeat of the season after a European record 51-game unbeaten run.
