If Bayer Leverkusen bag nine points during their remaining seven Bundesliga matches, the German crown is guaranteed to be heading their way for the first time ever. Xabi Alonso’s men have had an almost flawless campaign. 39 games unbeaten in all competitions this season at the time of writing, with 34 wins and 5 draws.
Unless the wheels completely fall off, Die Werkself will bring Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign as German champions to an end. They also remain on course to become the only side apart from Bayern to claim three trophies in one season, with dreams of DFB Pokal and Europa League glory still very much alive and kicking.
Embed from Getty ImagesBayer Leverkusen – The Slow Road to Euro Glory
Bayer Leverkusen didn’t gain promotion to the Bundesliga until 1979. But they’ve been an ever-present member of the German topflight since. Theirs wouldn’t be a meteoric rise to stardom, and it took them a respectable number of seasons to establish their position among the leading lights of German football.
Leverkusen’s first taste of silverware actually came in Europe. Having finished 6th for a second successive occasion at the end of the 1986-87 Bundesliga season, they qualified for the UEFA Cup/Europa League again.
Bayer would beat Barcelona (quarter-finals) and Werder Bremen (semi-finals) over two legs without conceding a goal. However, after losing 3-0 to Espanyol in the first leg of the 1988 Final, their dreams were left hanging by a very thin thread.
Cue one of the greatest comebacks ever in European football. Three second-half goals in the second leg at home, meant that the Final would go to penalties. Despite missing their first spot-kick, Bayer would hold their nerve to clinch the crown.
Die Schwarzroten have only reached one other European Final since. This time they had to settle for the runners-up spot, after losing the 2002 Champions League Final to Real Madrid at Hampden Park.
Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride
That Champions League Final wasn’t the first time Bayer Leverkusen would finish as runners-up and it wouldn’t be the last either. They hold the undesirable record of having been Bundesliga runners-up the most times (five) without ever winning the title. Leverkusen’s best period prior to this season came at the end of the 1990’s, under the leadership of Christoph Daum.
They would finish no worse than 4th in seven consecutive seasons (1996-1997 to 2001-02) and in four of those they were runners-up. Their 5th and final Bundesliga near-miss would come a decade further on, when they finished 7pts adrift of the eventual 2010-11 champions, Borussia Dortmund.
Embed from Getty ImagesXabi the Saviour
Following Bayer’s sluggish start to the 2022-2023 campaign, which saw them lose 8 of their first 12 games. Gerardo Seoane was sacked as manager. The Leverkusen board turned to Xabi Alonso, who had won the World Cup and European Championship as a player with Spain.
Prior to being hired for the Bayer hotseat, he had been turning heads as Real Sociedad ‘B’ boss. In the 2020-21 season, under Alonso’s leadership, they would gain promotion to the Segunda Division for the first time in 59 years.
After a settling-in month at the BayArena. The Xabi Alonso approach finally started paying dividends, as Leverkusen went on a 5-game winning streak either side of the winter break.
They would then go on an impressive 13-game unbeaten run between the end of February and end of April. During that run, they would beat Bayern Munich and progress to the Europa League semis. Despite a winless streak towards the end of last season, some solid foundations had already been set in place.
The Unforgettable 2023-2024 Season
Bayer may have started the 2022-2023 sluggishly, but they would hit the ground sprinting at the start of this one, Alonso’s first full season in control. After slotting 8 past Regionalliga Nord minnows, Teutonia Ottensen, in the DFB Pokal, they would notch three straight Bundesliga wins.
They scored 11 goals during those early league wins, a taster of what was to come. Bayer would then have to travel to the Allianz Arena to take on defending champions Bayern Munich. They showed their battling qualities coming from behind twice to grab a 2-2 draw. They then went on an extraordinary 14-game winning run, scoring 2+ goals in all bar one of those matches.
Two draws against a pair of this season’s in-form sides, Dortmund, and Stuttgart, within the space of a week in December didn’t halt Bayer’s impetus. They would go on another 5-game winning league run following their 1-1 stalemate at the MHPArena Stuttgart.
A drab goalless home draw with Borussia Monchengladbach at the end of January was the last league game where Xabi Alonso’s men failed to take maximum points.
They would go on an 8-game winning run in the Bundesliga following that 0-0 result. This includes last Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Hoffenheim. During that run Bayer beat Mainz and in doing so created German footballing history by hitting the 33-game unbeaten mark in all competitions.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Leverkusen Stars Loving Life Under Alonso
Two Xabi Alonso signings, Boniface & Grimaldo, have been loving life since joining Leverkusen last summer. Victor Boniface would net 16 times in his first 21 starts for Bayer. He also assisted in 9 other goals. Unfortunately, the Nigerian hitman picked up a muscle injury in January, which has kept him out of action until now.
Thankfully for the Bayer faithful, he is now back and raring to go for the final push. Spanish wing-back Alex Grimaldo has also been a vital goalscorer and goal provider this season. 11 goals and 15 assists during his 34 starts.
Like Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka has started every single one of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga games this season. He’s added steel to the Bayer backbone and at the same time has curbed his bad disciplinary habits. The former Arsenal skipper has only had 5 yellows from 35 starts this season for Bayer and hasn’t picked up a single one since the end of January.
German International Florian Wirtz continues to grow in stature and skill. This is his 4th full campaign for Bayer Leverkusen and the attacking midfielder is still only 20-years of age. From 32 starts, he’s netted 11 times & assisted in 17 goals.
Can Anyone Put a Halt to the Bayer Bandwagon?
Next up for Leverkusen, a semi-final DFB Pokal clash with 2.Bundesliga side and local rivals, Fortuna Dusseldorf. Bayer are the only Bundesliga side left in the competition. They’ll be confident of going all the way and claiming their first German Cup crown for 31 years.
Alonso’s men may find life a little tougher on the European front though. With the likes of Liverpool (the current strong bookies favourites). AC Milan, Roma and West Ham still in the Europa League mix, they will have their work cut out adding to their sole European success of 1988.
On the Bundesliga front, destiny lies in Bayer’s own hands. They know what they need to do, capture just 9 more points. They would dearly love to secure wins in their next two games against mid-table sides, Union Berlin & Werder Bremen, to help ease the nerves. Following those two games, four of their remaining five opponents currently reside in the top-7.
Back-to-back encounters at the end of April vs Dortmund and Stuttgart (sides who they could only draw with earlier this season) could prove crucial. However the rest of the campaign pans out, Xabi Alonso has committed his future to Bayer Leverkusen, well for another season anyway.
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