Alonso refuses to celebrate as Leverkusen match unbeaten record

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso reacts during tbeir Bundesliga match against FC Heidenheim at Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, on Feb. 17, 2024. (Reuters)

• Leverkusen won for the 18th time in 22 league matches to go eight points clear of second-placed
• Bayern Munich “I’m not going to celebrate the 500-day mark,” said Alonso, who took charge of Leverkusen in October 2022 with the club in the relegation zone

BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso refused to get carried away after his team equalled the longest unbeaten run for a Bundesliga team with a 2-1 win at Heidenheim on Saturday.
Leverkusen won for the 18th time in 22 league matches to go eight points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich, making it 32 games without defeat in all competitions this season.
That drew them level with the all-time record set by Hansi Flick’s Bayern across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
“I’m not going to celebrate the 500-day mark,” said Alonso, who took charge of Leverkusen in October 2022 with the club in the relegation zone.
“I’m satisfied with the game, with the performance and the result.
“We’re in a good phase. We’ll keep going and focus on one game after the next.”
“Overall, the performance was good. I’m really happy, but we have to keep going.”
No team has ever gone through a German top-flight season unbeaten.
There are 12 matches remaining this campaign.
Since Alonso’s appointment, his side have taken 100 points from 47 Bundesliga matches, a points-per-game ratio bettered only by Bayern teams coached by Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Flick.
Midfielder Granit Xhaka said “statistics don’t lie” after the win at Heidenheim kept them on course for history.
“The team is in full swing. We showed again how dominant we can be,” former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka told reporters.
Leverkusen, who thrashed Bayern 3-0 a week ago, have never won the title despite finishing runners-up five times. Bayern could cut the gap back to five points with victory at Bochum on Sunday.
Alonso’s Leverkusen have dropped just eight of a possible 66 points this season.
Their 58 points is the third best in league history at this stage, behind only Guardiola’s Bayern sides from 2013-14, who had 62 points, and 2015-16, with 59 points.