The presence of Bayer Leverkusen in a European semifinal leads the German club towards a jinx from which it wants to escape: being the eternal second best
Xabi Alonso’s team hasn’t won an official title since 1993 and in 2002 they came close to three titles in a single season. Now Mou’s Roma starts with an advantage
Surely no fans in the world can understand the impotence that Bayer Leverkusen fans felt in the 2001-2002 season, the best in history for a club that has been in the first division since 1980. Despite the fact that it was to frame, it had a disastrous outcome. With three days to go before the end of the Bundesliga, the aspirin team led the standings with a five-point lead over its closest rival and was in the German Cup and Champions League finals.. Until then, never had a German (or European) squad been so close to conquering the famous treble.
The situation to become a legend was privileged, but the pressure got the better of Klaus Toppmöller’s pupils, who let the three crowns escape in a resounding way. They say in Germany that if those same players had worn the Bayern shirt, they would have achieved everything. The fact is that from that year on the red and black earned the fame of an almost champion team, which still haunts them today.
That story was already known to the public at the BayArena. Two years before the big disaster, they lost another league in an exceptional way. It was in 99-00: Leverkusen only needed to score a point against the modest Unterhaching, who did not play anything, to be crowned champion, but they fell 2-0 (Ballack’s own goal included) and the title went to stop in munich So, it was blamed on lack of experience. What happened next, in the absence of cold blood. Uli Hoeness did not miss the opportunity to stoke his rival: “Seeing as they lose finals, they will not beat us in a million years & rdquor ;.
a dramatic ending
They lost 2 of their last 3 league games, lost in the German Cup against Schalke 04 and a great Iker Casillas deprived them of the Champions League in the 2002 Glasgow final. The almost champion team was born, Neverkusen, as they sing in the German fields. The way that season ended was cruel and tarnishes the achievements of the excellent group of players that Toppmöller put together. An unrepeatable dressing room that played colorful football and revolutionized the German style of play. Justice may one day be served to the aspirin team. For now, this year, they are once again fighting for a new European title.
Dreaming of the title?
According to Betfair forecasts, Bayer Leverkusen winning the Europa League in 2023 is paid at €5 per euro bet and, although it is not the great favorite, it is already a success that they have managed to reach this round. Xabi Alonso’s team is looking for its first official title since 1993 and is still haunted by the curse of 2002 in which it touched three titles and failed to win any. The challenge of the coach from Tolosa is huge. After a most disappointing start to the season, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen plays in seventh position in the Bundesliga and with many options to play in Europe next season. Something unthinkable when he took the team that was in relegation places.
A ‘chameleon’ Xabi
Xabi’s apprenticeship under Ancelotti, Guardiola, Mourinho, Pellegrini, Benítez, Denoueix, Toschak, Olabe, Ziarreta and Clemente and his time in LaLiga (Real Sociedad, Eibar and Real Madrid), the Premier League (Liverpool) and the Bundesliga (Bayern) has contributed to making the now Bayer Leverkusen coach a ‘chameleonic’ coach. “The fact of having known different championships allows me to adapt quickly”, admits. Mou’s Roma have an advantage, but Xabi wants to make history with his current club.