Eight points ahead for Leverkusen: FC Bayern takes itself out of the title race

Bayer Leverkusen is eight points ahead in the Bundesliga. No leader has ever lost such a big lead after matchday 22. Series champions FC Bayern are primarily concerned with their own crisis – has the title race already been decided?

If there had been any need for proof that Bayer Leverkusen is currently the biggest player in German football, then it would be this report from England: The “Footballinsider” portal reported on Monday morning, from “well-informed sources”, that Liverpool FC in the summer Would like to sign Leverkusen’s successful sporting duo. In addition to coach Xabi Alonso, who has long been considered the ideal candidate to succeed Jürgen Klopp, sports director Simon Rolfes is also set to join the Reds.

Leverkusen remains on course for its first championship title

Both will then possibly become champions – because the prospect of Bayer Leverkusen actually winning the title for the first time this season has become a bit more realistic again after the last matchday. After FC Bayern’s next, irritating defeat at VfL Bochum on Sunday evening, Leverkusen’s cushion at the top has increased to eight points.

An eight-point lead after 22 match days has never been lost

No league leader in league history has ever given away such a big lead after matchday 22. In the championship year of 2007, Stuttgart made up seven points behind after the 26th matchday, while Wolfsburg was eleven points behind on the 18th matchday in 2009 and still stormed to the title. Most recently, Borussia Dortmund lost a big lead in the second half of the 2018/19 season. After the 20th matchday, FC Bayern were seven points behind Dortmund, but in the end they won the cup with a two-point lead.

So far, these are nothing more than nice statistics – because the current leaders from Leverkusen are continuing their course undeterred. The slump that many have long been expecting, keyword Vizekusen, has so far failed to materialize. After the clear 3-0 win against FC Bayern, apparently a real impact for the series champions, Bayer 04 then solved the tricky test against the stable newcomers 1. FC Heidenheim. With patience and increased confidence in your own quality, as you would expect from a confident league leader.

With 32 competitive games without defeat, Leverkusen has now even set a Bayern record. There are currently no signs that the team could lose faith – and that the old Unterhaching trauma will ultimately strike again. But the pressure will certainly increase in the coming weeks, simply because of the even greater height of the fall this time: If Leverkusen doesn’t win the title now, then they probably never will.

Goretzka on Bayern’s title chance: “It doesn’t feel like that at the moment”

And FC Bayern, have the Munich team already checked off the championship? “At the moment it doesn’t feel like we still have a chance, that has to be said clearly” said Leon Goretzka at the Sportschau microphone after the 2:3 defeat in Bochum. “We won’t give up” Goretzka added. Basically, bring it “Probably nothing at the moment“to deal with the question of the title.

According to the message, the people of Munich are currently primarily concerned with their own crisis. The renewed system crash in Bochum confirmed the alarming state of the team, and the open dispute between Joshua Kimmich and assistant coach Zsolt Löw after the game served as further evidence.

Job guarantee for Tuchel – but for how long?

The most worrying signal, especially for the coming, crucial weeks of the season, may be that the coach also appears exhausted – and increasingly perplexed. Thomas Tuchel spoke of an “unfortunate” defeat in Bochum, as he did after the defeat against Lazio.

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen initially gave Tuchel a job guarantee. The coming weeks will show how much this is based on conviction – or rather on the fact that there is currently no real alternative candidate available. An exit in the round of 16 of the Champions League, against a less than fearsome Lazio, would change everything. The pun-loving English tabloid “Sun” wrote about “TUC-HELL” – and thinks the Bayern coach is already in hell.