Leverkusen: Victor Boniface still just a mini-Drogba

Assertive, but sometimes too stubborn: Victor Boniface.
picture alliance/dpa

With his goal, Victor Boniface was the match winner in the 1-0 win in the Champions League against Milan. It was the Nigerian’s fourth goal in his last five competitive games. He also provided an assist in TSG Hoffenheim’s 4-1 win. Leverkusen’s center forward delivers.

Nevertheless, there were also justified criticisms of the 23-year-old’s game, who at the end of the first half no longer just outdanced his opponents, but tried to show them off quickly. Here a casual trick, there an attempted leg shot. Unsuccessful actions in situations in which teammates in the outside positions were free.

But they are used to these excursions of their storm tank, which is sometimes a dancer and sometimes a negotiator. Sixth player Granit Xhaka Lapidar explained the attacker’s occasional shenanigans: “That’s Boniface. everyone says wow! Against Feyenoord, everyone was writing about Boniface for a week after his spectacular pass, but today they say he exaggerated it a bit.

Xhaka praises Boniface’s defensive diligence

It is the center forward’s style of play that is not just tolerated within the team. Rather, Bayer is aware that Boniface is so valuable for Bayer 04 despite and also because of his style. “The boy enjoys football and wants to enjoy every moment on the pitch,” explains Xhaka of the Boniface guy, “and he also gets this freedom from us. Of course we also see how much he works, including defensively. And he scores the decisive goals. He can do things like that when he scores the goals and gives us the next three-pointer.

A view that his coach also shares. Even Xabi Alonso, who generally relies on maximum control and team play, preferred to emphasize the strengths of the right foot when asked about his games with the opponent. “But he also had some very good actions in the first half,” said the Spaniard, “we know him. We understand him. We support him. In the end it’s 1-0 thanks to a striker’s goal – then he’s done his job very well.

Qualities that can make him as strong as Drogba.

The former world-class player sees the potential of his striker to become a top attacker. “He has many qualities that can make him as strong as Drogba,” explained the 42-year-old when asked and listed Boniface’s abilities: “He is so powerful and can cause so many problems for opponents. He’s good on the ball, good in tight spaces, he likes to play in the penalty area.

But – and Xabi Alonso also said this clearly – Boniface still has to take a few steps to reach the level of the former world-class striker from Ivory Coast. Because the Basque is of course aware of his deficits. “Sometimes he has to attack more aggressively in the box, like with his offside goal. But it’s a process. We have to help him, push him,” analyzed the coach, before adding his criticism of the Milan game: “And sometimes “Better decisions have to be made when the spaces are open on the outside.”