Alonso, Wirtz hungrier than ever at Bayer 04

With pre-season now in full flow across the Bundesliga landscape, Bayer 04 are adding plenty of intensity to their workouts, with last season's double winners the team to beat in the coming campaign. A first Bundesliga title was secured without a single loss last season and the DFB Cup was added in similarly polished style. Sticking to those type of standards will be a brutally tough ask, but coach Xabi Alonso senses similar desire and determination from his players this time around.  

"It's my job to maintain that hunger; that everyone feels the competition [within the squad] and that we don't talk too much about the past," the Spaniard explained. "The players told me that they want to keep going. We want to develop, we want to have a good season. But for that, we have to get off to a good start," Alonso added. 

Watch: The champions return for pre-season

On August 17 at the BayArena, Leverkusen could win their third trophy in a matter of months in the form of the Supercup. With last term's Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart providing the opposition, both teams will have a taste of what is expected in the coming campaign and the standard needed for a shot at top-flight glory, not that Alonso wants to enter into talk of of a Bundesliga title defence just yet.   
    
"I don't think it makes sense to talk about what will happen in May; it's about what will happen in August," the 42-year-old said. "Because the better we start, the better we will perhaps finish in May. The level [we performed at] last season probably won't be enough. We have to evolve and get better."

Squad improvements have thus far come in the form of new signings Martin Terrier, the French attacker arriving from Rennes, Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia and the versatile France Under-21 international defender Jeanuël Belocian. 

Watch: Florian Wirtz at his very best 

Joining a team of super achievers that contains the likes of last term's Bundesliga Player of the Season Florian Wirtz will make Leverkusen 2024/25 an intriguing mix, with the new arrivals already raising the bar in their new surroundings.

"You can really feel that everyone's working hard on the pitch at the moment," Wirtz told his club's official website. "Everyone wants to prove themselves, which is how it should be because a team lives off that. I want to prove to myself again and again with my conduct on and off the pitch in terms of professionalism and attitude," the attacking wizard continued. 

The 21-year-old weighed in with 23 goal involvements in 32 Bundesliga appearances last season prior to reaching the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals with Germany. All set for a sixth top-flight campaign with the Werkself - which the reigning champions begin at Borussia Mönchengladbach on 23 August - Wirtz is eager to make more history on the banks of the Rhine.
  

"I felt like I couldn't wait to come back to the team and play football again," the former Cologne youth said after returning from vacation. "We achieved so much together last season and that just brings you closer to people and you miss them at some point. 

"We'll obviously try to be guided by last season but at the same time continue to improve. I believe our coaching team have already thought about one or two new things over the summer."