Super Eagles of Nigeria winger Nathan Tella is not expected to be available for Bayer Leverkusen’s away match against Holstein Kiel at 3:30 p.m. later today, February 22, according to the club’s manager Xabi Alonso.
Nathan Tella played for 85 minutes in the recent goalless draw against Bayern Munich, during which he sustained a hip injury. Alonso indicated that the winger would be evaluated ahead of today’s game at the Holstein-Stadion.
“We’ll conduct our training session now and assess Nathan [Tella]. There’s some uncertainty regarding his condition, but the rest of the squad is fit and expected to be ready for Kiel tomorrow,” Alonso was quoted by Werkself Xtra. “It’s more about discomfort than an actual injury. It relates to his hip, so we’ll see how he feels today. While it’s still present, it’s not yet determined if he’ll be able to play.”
Meanwhile, Moroccan forward for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Amine Adli, has shared insights into Xabi Alonso’s decision to deploy Nathan Tella in a striker role at times.
Tella, who joined the club from Southampton last season for £20 million, primarily plays as a right winger but has also stepped in at right-wing back when necessary.
During Leverkusen’s 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal this season, Alonso’s choice to position Tella as a striker surprised many, including Adli. However, it proved to be an effective strategy, as Tella scored a decisive header that eliminated Bayern from the tournament, further solidifying Adli’s respect for Alonso’s decisions.
“The coach often employs a unique tactical approach for specific matches. It’s impressive that Nathan was able to contribute significantly in such a high-stakes game after not playing for three and a half months,” Adli remarked.
“He sometimes makes choices that we might not immediately understand, but when they pay off, it speaks to his vision. If I’d played a ball into Grimaldo’s flank, everyone would have praised that decision. We trust the coach’s judgment, and he values players with specific attributes that contribute to our pressing style, like Tella and myself against Bayern.
“Ultimately, it’s the coach’s tactical decisions that guide us, and while we might not always grasp the reasoning, they often lead to positive outcomes, so we can’t argue with the results.”
This season, Tella has made a notable impact with three goals and three assists in 30 matches across all competitions, just three goals shy of matching his contribution from the previous season.
