Source: REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
[Saba Sports News] In Bundesliga Round 16, Borussia Dortmund faced Bayer Leverkusen. Before the match, Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso discussed why Florian Wirtz did not start. Alonso’s explanation for the decision was rather vague: “Something unexpected happened this morning. His physical condition is fine; it’s an internal issue. He may come on in the second half; that’s not a problem.” According to German media reports, the reason Wirtz did not start was that he and Exequiel Palacios encountered traffic jams while departing from Cologne. Portions of the Rhine Bridge highway in Leverkusen were blocked, causing them to arrive late and miss the team bus departure time. Therefore, Wirtz and Palacios drove directly to the hotel in Dortmund, while the other players had already checked in. Reports indicate that Alonso places great importance on team discipline and did not want to field players who were unprepared, hence removing both players from the starting lineup.