Leverkusen’s triumph against Bayern is a masterpiece

Bayer Leverkusen could become German champions, that is also due to coach Xabi Alonso. At FC Bayern they watch with envy.

In the top game of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen won 3-0 (1-0) against Bayern Munich on Saturday evening (February 10, 2024). League leaders Leverkusen are now five points ahead of their pursuers from Munich.

The title race is not yet decided. But there is a great chance that the champions will not be called Bayern at the end of a season for the first time in eleven years.

Leverkusen fans celebrate Bayer coach Xabi Alonso

And so the Bayer Leverkusen players stood in front of the north curve after their triumph, dancing and singing. The strategist Granit Xhaka had his arm around two teammates. The injured striker Victor Boniface swung his crutches to the beat.

But one was missing. So the fans sang about the man who took over Leverkusen in the relegation battle and led them to the top. They called for Xabi Alonso. Alonso likes to leave the celebrating to his players. This time he had no choice. He called his coaching team and they also went to the corner.

Five points ahead of Bayern

Of course, Alonso was later sometimes asked about the table constellation. That Leverkusen could actually become champions. For the first time in the club’s history. But when it comes to goals, Alonso is like partying – he likes to hold back. The victory is very important, he said. That already. “But it’s only three points.”

They are cautious in Leverkusen. There are still thirteen match days to play and 39 points are still up for grabs. And then there is the history of the club. There have been times when Leverkusen played great football and dreamed of titles, but came away empty-handed in the end. For example in the 2001/02 season, when Bayer reached two finals but lost both – and missed the championship. The nickname “Vizekusen” was no consolation either.

But there is currently a lot to suggest that “Vizekusen” will become “Meisterkusen” in a few weeks. And that has a lot to do with the coach Xabi Alonso, 42.

They appreciate Alonso in Munich – but he is currently annoying Bayern

He took over Leverkusen in autumn 2022, when the club was second to last in the table. Alonso had previously coached the B team of Real Sociedad San Sebastian and the youth team of Real Madrid, but he was not a coach with experience at the highest level. But someone who many believed would have a great coaching career.

Years earlier, when Alonso’s time as a midfield strategist at FC Bayern was not long ago, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had said that he could very well imagine him as a coach in Munich. Only Alonso doesn’t coach Bayern, he annoys them.

He has established a brand of football in Leverkusen that is recognizable. It’s about ball possession, spatial distribution and the feeling for the passing game. The distances between the individual players are small; players like the “six” Xhaka and the dribbler Florian Wirtz are often separated by less than five meters in the build-up.

Leverkusen is one “Coaching team”

They play like this until the opponent opens up spaces. This is followed by a diagonal ball, often from the left side, which Grimaldo occupies, to the right side, where the fast Frimpong usually plays. Leverkusen does not deviate from this style; it goes back to Alonso. This is what we call a coaching team.

That’s why they rave about their coach in Leverkusen. Granit Xhaka once said that he learns something in every training session. Often it is precisely the details that are crucial in the end.

This week Alonso practiced defending with a back four. A system that has not been seen in Leverkusen for a long time. It was a risk, but the decision wasn’t wrong. Harry Kane played for Bayern, but he didn’t stand out. In the end, statisticians recorded 20 ball contacts for him.

Leverkusen and the power of late goals

Things don’t always go according to plan for Alonso’s Leverkusen team either, but it doesn’t seem like that’s causing any uncertainty among the players. In such games, Leverkusen likes to score late, as was the case in the league against Augsburg and Leipzig in January. That was also the case in the DFB Cup against Stuttgart during the week. Defense chief Jonathan Tah said: “We are convinced that we can win games like this. That feels good.”

Tah is a bit like coach Alonso. He doesn’t like to talk about titles either, no player does that. Midfielder Robert Andrich was the bravest after the win against Bayern. He said: “This year anything is possible.”

Leverkusen and Bayern are separated by more than just five points

This no longer applies to FC Bayern this season. While Leverkusen could still win the championship, cup and Europa League, Bayern’s options are limited. They are no longer in the cup, and in the league they are dependent on Leverkusen making a mistake.

It’s an unusual role for the record champions, and perhaps that’s why coach Thomas Tuchel made a small mistake in his analysis. When he was asked if he believed his team could catch up with this Leverkusen team by five points, he said: “In the end, it’s up to us.”

For Tuchel, 50, this evening was a total nuisance. He had also changed his tactics; Bayern defended with a three-man defense instead of the usual four-man defense. Their plan was probably to mirror Leverkusen’s system. “I felt that we had to implement this”said Tuchel. “We didn’t get much confirmation of that in the game.”

Leverkusen and Bayern are separated by five points, and yet the two clubs are worlds apart. Bayer football is a masterpiece, created by coach Alonso. They can be jealous in Munich.