Leverkusen’s Alonso hails top performance despite draw with Stuttgart

LEVERKUSEN, Germany : Bayer Leverkusen delivered their most complete performance in the Bundesliga this season even though they failed to score after missing a bagful of chances on Friday in their goalless draw against visitors VfB Stuttgart, coach Xabi Alonso said.
The German champions, who travel to Liverpool for the Champions League on Tuesday, overran Stuttgart from the start.
They squandered more than half a dozen golden scoring opportunities with Victor Boniface, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo in the first half alone and twice hit the woodwork in the game.
Leverkusen came close several more times after the break with Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel pulling off a string of sensational saves.
“We are unhappy. We thought we had done enough to win it,” Alonso said. “We pressed well. Our players showed a lot of energy to press a lot. We created a lot of chances in the first half. But we also had chances in the second half.”
“Maybe the most complete performance from us even though we did not score. It was a top game. From Monday we focus on Liverpool. A big game, to play in Anfield,” said the former Liverpool player.
Leverkusen have now won just one of their last five league games and drawn the other four. They are in third place on 16 points, four points off the pace with Bayern Munich taking on Union Berlin on Saturday.
“It is still early in the season,” Alonso said when asked about the growing gap with the league leaders. “There are enough games. We want to keep going.”