Bayer Leverkusen: the difficult confirmation of Xabi Alonso’s war machine

From loser to winner, there was only one step for Bayer Leverkusen and his name is Xabi Alonso. Never crowned German champion in 120 years of existence, the Werkself won almost everything last season with 43 victories, 9 draws and only one defeat against Atalanta (3-0) in the final of the Europa League. German champion with 17 points ahead of its runner-up VfB Stuttgart and winner of the German Cup against Kaiserslautern (1-0), the club coached by Xabi Alonso was a model of consistency and displayed an attractive game , rented across Europe. Now involved in the Champions League with the desire to go as far as possible and in the race for a double in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen is faced with the hardest thing in football: confirming. To achieve this, the good financial health of the club and the continuity of Xabi Alonso helped.

Indeed, no major departure was reported for €31.15M in sales after the transfers of Adam Hlozek (Hoffenheim), Sardar Azmoun (Shabab Al-Ahli), Patrick Pentz (Brondby), Iker Bravo (Udinese) and Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta). The only member of the team to leave, the Ivorian defender was immediately replaced in the eleven by Piero Hincapié who had been an important member of the team for two years, but who had lost his role over the last year. The reinforcements were notable, however, even if Bayer Leverkusen did not go crazy by spending 53 million euros. Three Frenchmen arrived with Rennais Martin Terrier and Jeanuël Belocian while Nordi Mukiele left Paris Saint-Germain to return to the Bundesliga, he who had played at RB Leipzig. Finally, Aleix Garcia, great sensation last season with Girona, was convinced by the speech of his coach Xabi Alonso. For the rest, we are sure of stability with elements who have nevertheless been requested such as Victor Boniface, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan Tah.

Good results, but room for improvement

Remaining on continuity in his style of play and on the system used with a 3-4-2-1 as effective as ever, Xabi Alonso ultimately made only one numerical change with the appearance of Martin Terrier. The Frenchman has only one goal and one assist in ten matches, but his contribution to Bayer Leverkusen’s game predominates in the eyes of his coach even if he obviously needs to do better in terms of efficiency: “Martin is a good boy who wants to learn a lot. He has this great quality of playing well in tight spaces and also scoring goals in the penalty area. I expect even more from him.» The Frenchman will have to raise his level a little more like other elements, particularly in the defensive sector since Bayer Leverkusen has already conceded 13 goals in 8 days of the Bundesliga, which makes it the eleventh defense in the championship (for the 2nd attack ). Not yet at its cruising speed, Bayer Leverkusen is also fourth, three points behind the leader, Bayern Munich, notably with a setback against RB Leipzig (3-2). On the other hand, the Werkself snatched a 1-1 draw against the Rekordmeister who had clearly dominated the debates.

Black spots which act more as room for progress than real concerns. While recruits Jeanuël Belocian and Aleix Garcia have integrated into the rotation and are gaining strength, certain executives are displaying a very satisfactory level. This is the case of the midfield duo Granit Xhaka – Robert Andrich who continues to have the upper hand over most of their opponents. This is also the case for Nigerian striker Victor Boniface. Hindered in the middle of the season by an injury, the striker returned to his best level with already 7 goals in 10 matches. His sidekick Florian Wirtz is not to be outdone with 6 goals and 2 goals in 11 matches. A duo which is already wreaking havoc and which thus leaves Xabi Alonso quite a bit of peace to adjust the final adjustments. This translates into the Champions League with a 4th place out of 36 after two days (currently ninth, but with one game less on the teams who played yesterday editor’s note) and two great victories against Feyenoord (4-0) and AC Milan (1-0). Future opponent of the Germans in the competition, Stade Brestois has been warned.