Bayer Leverkusen two wins from invincibility but Atalanta can rip up the script

“We have been preparing for this moment all year; it is not just a two-day job,” said Alonso.

IRISH BLESSING: Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso reacts during a training session at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin ahead of the UEFA Europa League final. Photo credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire.

In a Europa League that’s second fiddle to Champions League, Xabi Alonso is content to keep strumming sweet music.

He’ll be part of the senior competition next season regardless of whether second part of a potential treble is completed in Wednesday’s final but knowing he’s involved without absconding has Bayer Leverkusen on the ideal wavelength for their big night.

Not since 1988 when they won the Uefa Cup have the Germans prevailed in Europe.

There was a taster in 2002 when the team backboned by Michael Ballack lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final but the strides he’s taken since assuming his first senior role in October 2022 will have their 21,000 fans believing there’s more to come under his stewardship.

Taking the team from bottom to sixth over seven months, franked by a first European semi-final since that Champions League run to Hampden Park of 21 years earlier, the foundations were laid to break the stronghold of German established forces.

Bayer have been in existence since 1904, hence the number at the end of their name, but trailed behind the contemporary triumvirate of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.

Sandwiched between the major west German cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf, holding a population of just 160,000, the local pharmaceutical plant is the reason why they’re exempt from the Bundesliga’s famed 50+1 rule, facilitating fan ownership.

Atalanta's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini watches his team during a training session one day ahead of the Europa League Final. Pic credit: AP Photo/Peter Morrison.

That status hasn’t lost them their tag of being a fan and family friendly club, underscored by the input of the supporters, and Alonso’s vibrancy has engendered a revolution on the pitch.

For the first time in 12 seasons, Bayern Munich are not champions.

That in itself, considering by contrast the dominance Manchester City are developing in England, is denoted across the country as a novelty worthy of rejoicing in.

It’s unlikely to be fleeting either as despite firm interest from two of his former clubs, Liverpool and Munich, he spurned offers to resume his relationship by filling either of their managerial vacancies this summer.

There’s every chance that Alonso will be fielding questions on eves of finals again in 12 months while still donning the Black of Bayer.

“We have been preparing for this moment all year; it is not just a two-day job,” said the Spaniard.

“I have a good feeling it is not going to be different in this final. We respect Atalanta but we have confidence in our game and our mentality is not going to change.

“Luckily, I have a great team. They are ready and well prepared for tomorrow and go into the game with the right mindset.

“This year we have played 51 games. We have talked so much it is great the players have an understanding of different situations of preparation.

“We’ve had a lot of success thus far also. We don’t want to stop.”

They don’t know how to stop. Late fightbacks are a hallmark of their success, especially the standout statistic of being unbeaten over those 51 games.

He may be 180 minutes away from invincibility but Alonso took the opportunity during his pre-match press conference to reflect on his maiden visit to Ireland.

The Bayer Leverkusen boss was just 14 when he arrived in Kells, Co Meath from Spain as an exchange student, staying with Liam and Fidelma O'Brien of Headfort Park.

Learning English was his prime focus but he used his time to engage in sports, including the Royals tradition of GAA.

Football stardom followed, principally in the colours of Liverpool and Real Madrid, ultimately a precursor to his stellar coaching graduation.

Bayer won the first Bundesliga of their 120-year history without losing.

Atalanta stand in their way of the Europa trophy before they complete the season against FC Koln in their domestic DFB Cup decider on Saturday night.

“It is a huge motivation,” noted the 42-year-old about adding silverware to last year’s small building blocks.

“We have already spoken about how things felt last season - harnessing this disappointment to our advantage. We have taken the next step.

“I was so young in this coaching career so I said ‘Let’s go and see what happens’. In one and a half years so many things have happened.

“This season we have been able to make many right decisions in putting the pieces together.

“We have great chemistry among the players in the locker room. The confidence is really good and the mentality we have shown all year is fantastic.

“Putting all the things together we have reached this moment. I’m really enjoying it.”

As Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp can attest, Atalanta have the wherewithal to ruin scripts.

They’ve just a sole Coppa Italia from 1963 to show from their 116 years of history, the lateral portion earning them a reputation for being disrupters.

“In Italy and European competition, we have faced several strong sides and acquired a lot of self-confidence and self-belief,” said manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

“We need to ensure we are solid in terms of our shape and organisation but when it comes down to finals you also need come out on top in the right moments.”