The grin didn’t want to leave his face at all. Lennart Grill, actually the third goalkeeper at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, should give an assessment of the spectacular 5-2 win at Borussia Dortmund. The 23-year-old was allowed to play his fifth Bundesliga game due to the absence of his two goalkeeper colleagues. And he will probably remember that for a long time. “The win was well deserved. Everything was fine, we scored the goals at the right time.”said Grill. Five goals at BVB After all, achieving it is anything but everyday.
It was one of those days when the pros from Leverkusen kept the promise the Werkself made every year. The exuberant talent and the above-average football skills have had an impact – and translated into a remarkable sense of achievement.
The game was also a spectacle because Gerardo Seoane’s team was able to live out their absolute strength – the transition game. Dortmund fulfilled the Werkself’s wish with a few turnovers, which Leverkusen exploited mercilessly and remarkably accurately.
Bayer attack engine is running at full speed
Four goals came from counterattacks. One more beautiful than the other. “The 2-1 was the coolest counter-goal I’ve ever seen“, said goalkeeper Grill, paying special tribute to goal scorer Florian Wirtz, who, with his technique, vision and goal threat, is one of the guarantors of this distinctive strength of his team. And with the lightning-fast Moussa Diaby, Leverkusen also have an almost perfect counter-attacker. “We know that if we have the space, we have quality and speed“said coach Seoane.
The Bayer engine on the offensive is currently running at full speed. In the four Bundesliga games in 2022, the Bayer kickers have already scored fourteen goals, ten of them in the last two games alone. “Recent games have always guaranteed a lot of goals. It’s clear that we’re incredibly strong on the counterattack, but that only works if you have a good organization beforehand.”said Leverkusen’s free-kick goalscorer Robert Andrich.
Too many goals against
With their pronounced switching strength, the Leverkusen should actually be much closer to the top of the table than they are currently: in third place, five points behind BVB, even 14 points behind FC Bayern. This is mainly due to the inconsistency, for which the Leverkusen have been known for years and which they often present again this season.
And by no means every opponent – like Dortmund – tries to impose their game on the Werkself. Then the vulnerability on the defensive is particularly evident. Or as Andrich calls it: “the organization”. If the Werkself take the initiative and have to give up some of their defensive stability – then Leverkusen are particularly vulnerable. 34 goals conceded and thus around 1.6 goals per game after 21 games are not a value that makes you dream of titles. Not even 54 goals can change that.
Improve small things
While the team against the team of BVB-Trainer Marco Rose consistently concentrated on defensive work (Seoane: “We defended actively and in solidarity.”), but she has already gambled away several tours. In the first leg against Borussia, when Leverkusen were ahead three times and lost 3:4 in the end. The Leverkusen side have squandered their lead several times this season.
Seoane believes his team has now learned from their mistakes. “After every goal conceded, the team now tries to actively take control of the game again.”said the coach. To see about after the interim 1: 1 of BVB.
“There will be worse performances again. If we want to improve on the simple things, then we have great potential.”, says Seoane. At least the 43-year-old Swiss knows where to start with his team.