By Graham Ruthven
By scoring twice within the opening eight minutes of Friday’s away win over Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen picked up the place they left off earlier than the Bundesliga’s winter break. If the primary half of the season noticed Xabi Alonso’s workforce wrestle for consistency, there are indicators that The Black and Reds can be again to their greatest within the second half.
Leverkusen as soon as once more seem like the aspect that surged to an historic maiden Bundesliga title final season. They’ve received 9 matches in-a-row in all competitions and have lowered the hole to Bayern Munich on the high of the desk to 4 factors. Whereas many had been fast to declare this season’s German title race over, Leverkusen are making up floor on their rivals.
Whereas Leverkusen have rediscovered their kind, they’ve advanced since final season. They wanted to. It wasn’t sustainable for them to depend on so many late objectives and comebacks to earn outcomes. Final season was exhilarating and can be talked about on the Bay Enviornment for many years to return, but it surely couldn’t proceed.
And so Alonso has centered a lot of his efforts this season on giving Leverkusen extra management. They’re averaging much less possession per match within the Bundesliga, however this has been designed to make the defending champions harder to play towards. In opposition to Dortmund, Leverkusen had simply 30% of the ball, but remained comparatively strong.
“We did properly with the ball, however we additionally did it rather well with out the ball,” mentioned Alonso after the landmark win on the Westfalenstadion. “We didn’t concede a lot. It’s a improvement of our recreation that we will compete on this means, to play right here with this self-discipline towards a high, high workforce in Europe.”
This tactical evolution has been clearest within the Champions League the place Leverkusen have saved three clear sheets in three residence video games. Alonso has harnessed the chaos of final season and used it to show Leverkusen right into a extra rounded outfit. They nonetheless boast one of many strongest assaults in Germany, however the foundations are actually stronger than they had been final time period.
Edmond Tapsoba was significantly impressed away to Dortmund, not simply giving Leverkusen presence on the again, but in addition having a direct hand in two of the three objectives. The Burkina Faso worldwide is bodily imposing, but in addition has the technical skill to get his workforce transferring shortly out from the again. Alonso’s strategy wouldn’t work with out him.
On the high of the pitch, Patrik Schick is at present within the type of his life, averaging a Bundesliga objective each 51 minutes. Final season, Alonso primarily favoured a entrance three with Jonas Hofmann and Florian Wirtz in behind Victor Boniface because the centre ahead. This season, Leverkusen have shifted to one thing nearer to a 4-4-2 and this has benefited Schick as a penalty field poacher.
In fact, it could be deceptive to recommend Leverkusen’s 4-4-2 is an orthodox one. They push Jeremie Frimpong and Álex Grimaldo extraordinarily excessive to such an extent that they effectible function as vast forwards. Nathan Tella has the positional freedom to take advantage of house wherever he can discover it whereas Wirtz poses an all-round menace.
Wirtz might reportedly signal a brand new contract to remain at Bayer Leverkusen till 2027 regardless of curiosity from throughout Europe. Broadly thought-about the membership’s greatest younger expertise since Kai Havertz, and probably even Michael Ballack earlier than him, the 21-year-old has made one other step up lately, registering 11 objective involvements in his final eight video games – albeit he was solely used from the bench within the recreation at Dortmund, therefore his face is lacking from the graphic above.
Again-to-back residence fixtures towards Mainz and Borussia Monchengladbach this week give Leverkusen the chance to construct extra momentum and apply extra stress on Bayern Munich. Alonso has doubtless circled his workforce’s subsequent assembly with the Bavarians on fifteenth February as a probably season-defining encounter.
The Champions League is one other enviornment the place the ever-improving The Black and Reds might make their mark within the second half of the season. Solely Liverpool and Barcelona have extra factors than Leverkusen after six matches of the new-look League Part with their place within the final 16 all however assured.
Leverkusen might make the most of an especially open area to make a deep run. Barcelona and Actual Madrid each have their flaws. Manchester Metropolis are a shadow of the workforce that received the Treble in 2023 whereas Paris Saint-Germain are in a transitional section beneath Luis Enrique. Why can’t Leverkusen win the Champions League?
Alonso is extensively thought-about soccer’s subsequent nice supervisor and Bayer Leverkusen have been moulded within the Spaniard’s picture. Having performed beneath Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and José Mourinho amongst others, Alonso has had a wide-ranging training within the recreation. That is shining by means of in how he’s shaping Leverkusen.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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