By Zach Lowy
The identical staff that had received 43 of their 53 matches the earlier season – accumulating extra trophies (2) than losses (1) – had did not win in six of their final eight. It was all-time low, however it was additionally a turning level.
Since that stalemate, Leverkusen have received 11 of their final 12 matches, a run that solely stopped on Tuesday in a 2-1 defeat at Atlético Madrid within the UEFA Champions League. They sit second within the Bundesliga desk, 4 factors behind Bayern Munich, they usually’ll be relying on Patrik Schick as they appear to proceed their upward momentum with a win at RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Schick broke onto the scene as a teen for Sampdoria, incomes a €30 million switch to Juventus – just for the transfer to interrupt down after failing two separate medicals – earlier than becoming a member of Roma, the place he struggled to persuade. The Czech ahead loved a promising mortgage spell at Leipzig earlier than becoming a member of Bayer Leverkusen in September 2020 for €26.5 million, scoring 9 objectives in 29 Bundesliga appearances earlier than skyrocketing in his second 12 months on the BayArena with 24 objectives in 27 appearances. However simply when it appeared like he was set to develop into top-of-the-line strikers in Europe, Schick missed practically a whole 12 months with an adductor harm, inflicting Leverkusen to signal Victor Boniface from Union Saint-Gilloise in the summertime of 2023.
Boniface began the marketing campaign because the first-choice striker underneath Xabi Alonso, solely to undergo a hamstring harm on the Africa Cup of Nations. With the Nigerian striker out for the foreseeable future, Schick labored his means again into Leverkusen’s line-up and performed a pivotal position of their unbeaten home double. Nevertheless, he was again to a bench position by the point the 2024/25 season rolled round and didn’t rating a Bundesliga purpose till the Bochum stalemate. A couple of days later, Boniface incurred a thigh harm on worldwide responsibility, opening the door for Schick to reclaim his beginning spot.
“Schick was lucky with Boniface’s harm in that Alonso had no different possibility aside from to rely solely on Schick, and that run within the staff introduced again his confidence and scoring streak,” mentioned Bundesliga journalist Ronan Murphy. “Each are bodily attackers, however Boniface is best driving at defenders and dribbling previous them. Schick prefers to play a fast go and get in behind whereas Boniface likes to play together with his head up and use his expertise to create space for a shot.”
Over the previous 12 months, Schick has developed a penchant for clutch moments. He single-handedly saved Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak twice within the span of every week – a 92nd-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw vs. Qarabağ and an additional time brace in a 3-2 win vs. Qarabağ – while he additionally scored an 88th-minute equaliser vs. Stuttgart to ship the DFL-Supercup to penalties, the place Leverkusen prevailed with one other trophy. And on 23 November, he helped Leverkusen erase a two-goal deficit and beat Heidenheim 5-2 after scoring a hat-trick on his third league begin of the marketing campaign.
While Schick has usually been typified as a streaky, hot-and-cold participant, he’s lastly delivering regularly for Leverkusen. After closing out 2024 with a poker vs. Freiburg, Schick has carried his type into the brand new 12 months by grabbing a brace at Dortmund and a purpose vs. Gladbach. Having scored 13 objectives in 33 appearances final season, Schick has already registered 16 objectives in 24 appearances this season in all competitions and sits atop the Bundesliga charts in objectives per 90 (1.51) and pictures on track per 90 (2.5). Solely Harry Kane (16) and the now departed Omar Marmoush (15) have scored extra objectives within the Bundesliga this season than Schick (12), while solely Wolfsburg’s Kevin Behrens (1.12) has registered extra xG per 90 than Schick (0.94).
Standing at 6’3”, Schick has the bodily capabilities to problem for aerial duels, maintain up the ball together with his again to purpose, and retain possession while driving tackles. His mixture of bodily prowess and tireless operating permit him to shut down opponents and press them for the ball – he’s successful 2.5 possessions within the remaining third per 90 within the UEFA Champions League, nicely forward of Leverkusen’s second-best participant in Florian Wirtz (1.5). What’s extra, his intelligent motion permits him to catch defenders off guard and obtain in harmful conditions, the place he’s capable of get a clear shot off with out overthinking the end. He’s additionally able to linking up nicely with teammates, none extra so than Wirtz. Wirtz has assisted Schick on 17 completely different events within the Bundesliga – since 2004/05, solely Thomas Müller has offered extra assists to a single teammate (Robert Lewandowski – 42).
“Schick has stayed affected person, and even when he wasn’t the first-choice striker final season, he scored vital objectives,” mentioned Bundesliga announcer Kevin Hatchard. “It’s additionally price noting that Schick had an enormous assembly with Alonso two months into this season, they usually mentioned his lack of minutes. Since then, Schick says the whole lot has been excellent. His type as a Bundesliga participant has been constantly sturdy, he’s fitter and getting extra probabilities to shine from the beginning, and in a staff that dominates video games routinely, he ought to proceed to thrive.”
Boniface is lastly again to full health after 10 weeks on the remedy desk, however so long as Schick continues to bang within the objectives, he’ll discover it troublesome to reacquire a spot in Alonso’s beginning line-up. After beforehand fighting accidents and inconsistency, Schick is delivering one of the best type of his life at Leverkusen, and he’ll be seeking to have fun his birthday with yet one more purpose in opposition to Leipzig on Saturday, a day after turning 29.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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