Schick held crucial talks with Xabi Alonso: “Everything has been perfect since then”

Patrik Schick has revealed that after a difficult start to the season, he sat down with Xabi Alonso for a meeting that has proved crucial.

Having started the season as Victor Boniface’s back-up, Patrik Schick has stepped up while the Nigeria international has been out injured.

The Czech international makes no secret of the fact that he wasn’t happy with his role at the start of the season, but as he reveals in an interview with Sport Bild, one particular meeting with Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso turned the tide.

“The first two months of the season weren’t ideal for me. I didn’t get much game time, so I wasn’t happy. But then Xabi Alonso and I got together and sorted things out, and since then everything has been perfect,” said Schick in the interview.

“Of course, at the beginning of the season, it bothered me that I was getting relatively little playing time. I felt I could help the team and I wanted to prove it. It was good for me, and I think for the coach as well, to discuss what needed to be done to make both sides happy. A lot has changed as a result.”

The big question now is how it will affect Schick’s situation when Boniface eventually returns to full fitness.

Although the Czech striker’s current deal doesn’t expire until 2027, he is currently wary of guaranteeing a stay beyond the summer.

“I can’t say what will happen in the summer. We’ll see together what Bayer 04 are planning and of course we’ll talk to each other.”

Schick has scored 15 goals in 22 matches for Bayer Leverkusen in total this season.