Bayer Leverkusen footballer Jonathan Ta said today that the team will try to win two more trophies this season, after becoming Bundesliga champions for the first time in history.
Bayer could win the triple crown this season, as it plays in the semi-finals of the Europa League and in the final of the German Cup.
"This trophy brought us so much positive energy. The feeling of winning the trophy, the hunger is getting bigger and that's why we maintain a high level of play. One trophy is a nice thing, but we still have more to achieve and that's why we keep fighting," said Ta for the Associated Press.
Leverkusen is undefeated this season in the Bundesliga and will try to become the only team to do so in the history of the competition. There are still four rounds left until the end of the season, and Bayer has conceded 20 goals in 30 games in the league this season.
"It means something to us because no one has done it before. We are fighting even though we have already won the title. But it is now our challenge that we are playing for and that is why we want to keep the flywheel and keep winning," Ta said.
She has been at Bayer since 2015 and is the second longest serving player in the team. He said that during that time, the expectations of the club changed and that coach Ćabi Alonso introduced a competitive mentality, even in training, and a strong team spirit.
"He expects us to win every game, no matter who we play against. He is never scared. He always wants to win and thinks like that," added Ta.
A coach who has won the Champions League and the World Cup can do a lot to help the players, and training videos, in which Alonso can be seen taking part, are often shared on social networks.
"He can show you what he wants to see from you and actually sometimes it's really impressive how good he still is. I don't want to take away from his tactical understanding or explaining to the team on the board or things like that, because he's good at that too, he's of course Ćabi Alonso was a great player, he won everything. If he explains something to you and then shows you, it's different from a coach who never played at the club," said Ta.
Bayer will end the season with the cup final against Kaiserslautern on May 25 in Berlin. That match is three days after the Europa League final. Bayer will play against Roma in the LE semi-finals. The first match will be played on May 2 in Rome, and the second leg is seven days later in Germany.
Atalanta - Olympique Marseille will play in the second semi-final.
Bonus video:
