Andrich on battle for spot in Leverkusen midfield | OneFootball

Andrich has found himself in a constant battle for a starting spot in Leverkusen's midfield under Xabi Alonso this campaign.

With a 65% starting rate in the Bundesliga, the German international remained played out the entirety of Leverkusen's 2-0 victory against Holstein Kiel at the weekend after spending the full 90 minutes on the bench against Bayern München just a week prior.

With Granit Xhaka almost guaranteed a start, competition is fierce between Andrich and Argentine midfielder Exequiel Palacios.

“We had this question a few times last season,” said Andrich when speaking to German outlet Bild.

Prior to the long-term injury of Palacios, the preferred midfield duo of head coach Xabi Alonso seemingly contained the Argentine alongside Xhaka.

However, stepping up his absence, Andrich earned himself a place in Germany's squad for last summer's European Championships and his well-deserved plaudits for his contribution to Leverkusen.

Acknowledging the rotation, the midfielder did admit that limited playing time can be frustrating: “We keep rotating, which is evident. Naturally, like I said back then, it annoys you when you don't get enough minutes. You have to be pissed off about it.”

“In the end, it's about the team. We have a massive squad, an incredibly good squad, you just can't field 22 players at once,” said Andrich, remaining professional despite obvious frustrations.

This intense competition was evident in Saturday's win against Holstein Kiel, where Amine Adli scored and provided an assist on his first start back after nearly four months out.

“It's always great when players recover from injuries, reintegrate into the team, and regain their rhythm,” said Andrich. “Of course, that means others will get fewer minutes, that's just the nature of the game. But we benefit immensely from this rotation.”

While the reigning champions compete on multiple fronts in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal, head coach Alonso consistently reiterates that “every player is needed”, with squad depth being vital for die Werkself.

Leverkusen look ahead to a crucial period, as they aim to topple Bayern München over two legs in the Champions League and retain their DFB-Pokal crown as firm favourites to do so.