Xabi Alonso explains Florian Wirtz’ absence from Bayer Leverkusen’s starting XI vs Dortmund | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz was named as a starter in Bayer Leverkusen’s line-up to face Borussia Dortmund on Friday evening but when he didn’t appear on the pitch, questions were asked.

Prior to the game, Xabi Alonso explained that “something unexpected happened this morning,” which led to speculation by Michael Ballack that Wirtz had some kind of ‘disciplinary issue’ which resulted in the generational talent being dropped.

Wirtz (21), who has 14 goal contributions (seven goals and seven assists) in 16 Bundesliga games this season, did feature in the second-half, playing 27 minutes.

But why was Florian Wirtz absent from Leverkusen’s starting XI?

Speaking in his press conference after Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-2 win at Dortmund, Alonso explained why Wirtz didn’t start.

“When we gathered for training this morning, they [Wirtz and Exequiel Palacios] were stuck in a traffic jam on a bridge in Cologne for a long time,” said Alonso. “They were absent from our preparation and our meeting and came straight to Dortmund,” which gave Alonso an ‘uneasy feeling’, per kicker.

“I wanted to have things clear,” added Alonso. “I know how important Flo is. It wasn’t anything disciplinary, it was just for my peace of mind.”

GGFN | Daniel Pinder