A few weeks ago, Leverkusen felt like they could overtake Bayern Munich in the title race. He had excellent form in the spring, kept all the important players, Hložek came. But reality does not match the goals. “The fact that there is pressure on us is positive. It means that we accumulated arguments last season because we can be ambitious,” said Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane after the latest defeat. “You don’t normally lose a game like this when you have so many chances. We are obviously disappointed,” he lamented.
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Schick didn’t have as many opportunities this time as he did a week ago in Dortmund. Once he licked a cross from close range, but the visitors’ goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz, as in many other situations, was ready and made a good save.
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“It happens to even the best strikers that they don’t convert chances, even if they have high quality,” Seoane pointed out. The Czech shooter, who is among the favorites to become the top scorer, didn’t get much space on Saturday.
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There were plenty of interested parties. It decided that I could grow in football in Leverkusen, admits Adam HložekVideo: Sport.cz, FAČR
Hložek also started in the starting line-up, staying on the field until the 62nd minute. He fired shortly before the end of the first half, his shot was blocked, but Charles Aranguiz’s header had already gone into the net. The 20-year-old offensive all-rounder kept Gikiewicz busy with one attempt from the edge of the box, with a cross from a corner kick he found Sardar Azmoun, who was brilliantly saved by the Augsburg goalkeeper.
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Otherwise, it was clear how Hložek was getting used to the team and the entire competition. The left side, where he cooperated with Mitchel Bakker, did not work according to the coach’s ideas. “I had the feeling that it was stuck there. We didn’t go there to renumber. That’s also why we put Adam more in the middle and pushed Azmoun forward more,” explained Seoane.
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Panic does not subside. “We have to get more confidence in the players,” added the Swiss strategist.
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