Granit Xhaka has been speaking after Bayer Leverkusen’s win over West Ham and what he said may give us hope for a second leg miracle.
West Ham have been licking their wounds after the devastating late 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Hopes were cautiously high that the Hammers could be the first team to inflict defeat on the German invincibles this season.
Because West Ham are that club with the history to back it up.
Alas, though, it was not to be. A valiant defensive effort from the players was undone late on as tired minds and legs allowed the hosts to score two sloppy goals.
With no Lucas Paqueta or Emerson Palmieri in the second leg and doubts over Jarrod Bowen and Konstantinos Mavropanos too, West Ham clearly have a mountain to climb.
Debate over David Moyes’ ultra defensive tactics has raged since the match.
Hard to shake the feeling the tie might be over
But that can wait until after the second leg at the London Stadium next week.
Making the quarter-finals for Europe’s second tier competition is an achievement for West Ham.
So we must not lose sight of that whatever happens.
Although it does look and feel very much like West Ham have run their race in this season’s competition.
Where there is a pulse there is hope, though.
Teams have come back from bigger deficits against better teams in the past.
With some luck, some 10/10 performances, a decent set of officials and an early goal who knows what might happen at the London Stadium.
And what Granit Xhaka has said about West Ham may give hope for a second leg miracle.
Classy Xhaka gives West Ham some much-needed perspective
If one player in the Leverkusen side knows West Ham better than any other it is Swiss international Xhaka.
Ironically Arsenal signed Declan Rice from the Hammers to replace Xhaka following his move to Leverkusen.
It’s fair to say Rice and Xhaka have shone at their new clubs – as painful as that has been for the Hammers on both counts.
Xhaka has played against West Ham a number of times down the years.
And he showed Moyes’ side big respect with his level-headed assessment ahead of his return to the London Stadium for the second leg.
“We knew before the game that West Ham would come here and maybe play five at the back and play very deep,” Xhaka told TNT Sports.
“But we showed one more time that we have the quality even to beat these teams. And I think that the second goal will help us a lot for the second leg.
“Absolutely (2-0 helps), 1-0 is a very difficult result but even at 2-0 I know in the past with my experience how difficult it is to play away at West Ham.
“So we have to be focused from the beginning, to try to score as well and that will help us for sure. But well done to the team, 2-0 to take against a very, very good team (not only) today but as well in the Premier League how they are doing, credit for the team.
“We are happy that the first leg we took on our side now let’s see about the second leg.”
West Ham must view the tie with some mindset
Credit to Xhaka for showing West Ham respect. It would have been an easy win for him to goad the Hammers, especially given his links to Arsenal.
But this is a classy and considered take on the match.
And some of us West Ham fans – myself included – could do with looking at the tie in the same way Xhaka is.
West Ham must go into the second leg with the mindset that they just need to win by two goals.
Somehow clawing this back and getting to extra-time will feel like a win in itself.
And it could well deflate the Germans, who may be nursing a hangover if they win the Bundesliga as expected this weekend.
Get to extra-time and who knows what might happen.
Now the Hammers must hope for some good news from the treatment room because getting Bowen back for next week – as unlikely as that seems – will give everyone a lift as well as the return of Edson Alvarez.