Hjulmand in focus: Does Bayer Leverkusen have to ask the coaching question?

Hjulmand in Leverkusen in focus

Kasper Hjulmand rejected the fact that he was recently referred to in the media as a “coach on call” in the run-up to the DFB Cup semi-final against FC Bayern. It is emblematic of the automatisms of business that the personality of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen coach continued to come into focus after the defeat. Before the game, the “Kicker” asked the open question whether the sporting performance in the season finale could change anything about a change of coach in the summer. Managing director Simon Rolfes supported Hjulmand on Wednesday evening.

The disappointment about the current situation under the Bayer Cross is noticeable internally and externally. There are only five wins from the last 15 competitive games, and four game days before the end of the season they are in sixth place in the league, four points behind a qualification place for the Champions League – not enough for the demands of the club with the fourth most valuable squad in the Bundesliga. There is also a lot of discussion in the Transfermarkt forum about what needs to change at Bayer 04 in the summer. The focus is not just on the coaching question.

“The first 45 minutes it was a class difference, so we’re lucky that it’s only 0-1. And then I think, let’s say until the 75th minute, if you do one, then everything is possible again. Overall, we have to be honest, Bayern were better,” said national player Robert Andrich, analyzing the cup defeat on Wednesday evening. And Rolfes put his finger directly in the wound: “I’m disappointed, of course. (…) I think we could have given them a bigger fight.” Like the coach the day before, Rolfes also emphasized that we now have to “attack the four games we still have with full force” in order to get the ticket for the premier class.

Andrich became clearer: “We as Leverkusen want to get into the Champions League, upheaval or not. If we don’t make it in the end, it would be a fatal season for us. Because the Europa League is not our goal.” After all: the gap to fifth place, which could possibly also be enough for the premier class, is two points. Hjulmand’s statement after the cup game that he was keeping his fingers crossed for the record champions on the international stage was not entirely unselfish: “Yes, of course. It’s important for German football to get points. Of course we hope for all the best for Bayern in the Champions League.”

Cologne, Leipzig, Stuttgart and HSV are Bayer’s opponents in the season finale. Anything other than a victory in the duel against the neighbors from the cathedral city will not only be a setback in the fight for international business, but will also hit the soul of Bayer supporters hard. But could it also be, as the media suggests, a preliminary decision with regard to the coaching question?

Meijer about Hjulmand: “I miss clear handwriting”

Former Bayer professional and TV expert Erik Meijer analyzed the current situation at “ran” on Wednesday: “At Bayer you have to get into the top four with this squad. Period.” Hjulmand has “not yet completely reached the team, not yet gripped it enough to play through the games with full conviction. Everything goes through the coach – he is the filter that passes the content on to the players. This crucial chemistry is still missing to some extent. I don’t have a clear handwriting. I don’t see clearly enough what the team should stand for. It’s not against the person at all, because I think he’s a good guy. But when I look at how Leverkusen plays, I miss it Automatisms, the clarity, the structure.” When asked whether Leverkusen needed a change in the position, the Dutchman replied: “If the clear goal is to get back into the top four and thus play in the Champions League – and with respectable football – then I say: yes.”

Rolfes emphasized on “Sky” with regard to his protégé: “He has a contract until 2027. There is no other decision. Even if everything seems to be clear in the media – it is not. That is the situation.”

Opinions are diverse in the Transfermarkt forum. “With the budget and the squad, the season was still disappointing. We had games with zero scoring chances and experienced a new low week after week. That was very weak in terms of play and that should never happen like that despite the upheaval. We still have and had a very decent squad and have shown in some cases what is possible. (…) Unfortunately, it has to be said at the moment that we haven’t managed to gain an advantage with the money. And we’re not talking about a transfer, but about the entire squad composition,” analyzes TM-User “bayer04toto” in the Bayer Forum and concludes: “You have to draw the right conclusions and sit down with the new coach in the summer and optimize the squad.”

User “00Frederik” is in the same vein: “It is important that you draw the right lessons from the summer and deal openly and honestly with certain problems and clarify them. For me these are the following: coach question; system question (goes hand in hand with coach question); goalkeeper question; courage to sort out where there is no real perspective; make targeted improvements where there are problems in terms of the squad (if necessary RV, IV, LV replacement, offensive).”

User “Raumgewinn” sees no acute need for action, at least on the sidelines: “So the system question isn’t one for me. I also think the goalkeeper question is overrated. You can ask the coaching question if you think you’ve found someone better. But please don’t find an embarrassing solution, or, even worse, someone who wants a different kind of football to be played again. For me, that would perhaps be the biggest mistake we could make. It’s better to continue with Hjulmand and see what happens jumping around when we have a whole preparation and the new arrivals from lower leagues have had a season to get used to the pace.”

Coach question in Leverkusen: Hürzeler has a suitable personality?

Basically, despite the mixed season, Bayer’s prospects in the forum are still viewed predominantly positively. Possible alternatives to Hjulmand are still being discussed for the coaching position. “We are definitely well positioned and have created a lot of value with the highly talented players. In addition to the player transfers, it is important to hire the right coach now. A coach with a clear game idea who can also further develop the young players. My favorite here would be Fabian Hürzeler,” writes “bayer-fan84”.

“00Frederik” agrees: “I agree with you in principle. My favorite would also be Hürzeler. If you have a chance here, you have to take it. This experience in England in particular could be important. He recently went through a sporting crisis that was successfully overcome. But it will also be a tough fight for Brighton in international business. They are currently in the desired places, but it is very close to 10th place alone. Whether Hürzeler is his future In any case, Leverkusen will be more exciting than Brighton, especially because you will never have the opportunity to really do something with Brighton in England. The question is whether the bigger clubs (Chelsea, United or something like that) will take a chance on him.

The fact is: Bayer 04 are going into the season finale with Hjulmand, what will happen beyond that remains to be seen. The Dane had made his focus on the upcoming challenges clear during the week: “I’m fully concentrated on the tasks. (…) I do everything from the morning until sometimes at night to help this team. That’s my job.”