According to Kicker, Victor Boniface’s body language on the pitch appears to be given Leverkusen issues owing to the poor string of results the club has recorded in the last eight matches.
The German tabloid published yesterday that Boniface is suffering from acute weakness and is showing his dissatisfaction, while Schick sent a clear signal to Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso in the 1-1 draw in Bochum.
This season has been anything but pleasant for Patrik Schick. Although the Czech is fit again after a long injury break, his playing time is limited. Xabi Alonso rates Victor Boniface much higher.
The Nigerian, who is more variable, often appears between the lines and moves to the left, and is also a strong wall player, simply fits Leverkusen’s coach’s concept better. This means that Schick is mostly left with the role of joker.
Boniface, on the other hand, has recently been declining in his performance and has also recently attracted attention by waving the ball away or not going after every ball unconditionally. Lukas Hradecky also admits that frustration over the lack of success causes undesirable reactions.
The captain explained in general terms and not about Boniface: “Yes, we are, of course, unhappy because we don’t have the number of points. But this body language doesn’t help anyone, we’ve already talked about that. We should stop doing that and not only that. Of course, the way the games have developed, the way the results have developed, you can be frustrated, there’s no question about that. But you have to use the energy in a different way than with unnecessary reactions.”
On the one hand, Boniface’s performance combined with his body language, on the other hand, Schick’s clear signal to Xabi Alonso – it will be interesting to see whether the hierarchy in the centre-forward position remains as clear as it has been so far.