Bayer Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen at home ” with a score of 5:0 and ahead of schedule became the champion of Germany for the 2023/24 season. Sports is about the historical success of the “aspirin” and the birth of a new coaching star, Xabi Alonso, against the backdrop of the catastrophic decline of Bayern Munich.
First gold in 120 years Despite the fact that the main nicknames of the new champion are related to the medical field (the club was founded in 1904 employees of the chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer), fans of other teams often call Bayer “Neverkusen”, distorting the names of the city. The first part of the word contains the English “never”, hinting that the team will never become first.
Those who followed football in the 2001/02 season cannot but agree with this statement. After all, the “red-blacks”, together with Michael Ballack, began May 2002 with hopes of three titles: Bundesliga gold, the German Cup and the Champions League trophy… However, at the finish of the championship Borussia Dortmund took the lead, and in the finals it was like damned Leverkusen lost to Schalke and Real Madrid.
And it’s not just about that terrible season, because other clubs also became heroes of similar horror (for example, Bayern failed in May 2012, becoming second in the championship and the German Cup, and also lost the home final of the Champions League to Chelsea). Bayer has been pathologically unlucky throughout its 120 years of existence:
- became vice-champion of Germany five times (last time in 2011 );
- lost three times in the final of the national Cup.
Of the big victories – the UEFA Cup in 1988 and the German Cup in 1993… And here it is, the long-awaited gold for Neverkusen! Bayer's first big trophy in 31 years.
- For reference: Bayer became the 13th club to become German champions since the founding of the Bundesliga in 1963. Previously, national gold was taken by Bayern (record 33 titles), Borussia Dortmund and Mönchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Eintracht Braunschweig, Wolfsburg, Nuremberg, Cologne, “Kaiserslautern” and “Munich 1860”.
Undefeated Last weekend, Bayer equaled Bayern's record from the 2013/14 season: then the Munich team, led by Pep Guardiola, were unbeaten in the first 28 rounds of the Bundesliga. Leverkusen also knows no failures in the current championship (before the meeting with the “musicians”, the new champions had 24 wins and four draws). Today, in the “golden” match with Werder Bremen, the record fell, because the champions extended their unbeaten streak to 29 games.
But Bayer also has an impressive unbeaten streak in all tournaments… 43 matches! And this is a repeat of the record. In the 21st century, among the clubs from the top 10 European championships, only the Italian Juventus succeeded in this (43 matches from May 2011 to May 2012). The absolute record in this century belongs to Dinamo Zagreb (45 matches in all tournaments; from November 27, 2014 to September 29, 2015).
How Bayern is degrading It’s difficult to imagine such a sensation in the Bundesliga, if the hegemon hadn’t failed. The Munich team should have given up the gold last season, but Borussia Dortmund disgraced itself at the finish line and dutifully handed the salad bowl to Thomas Tuchel's team.
In the same season, Bayern, which had the best squad in the league, had no chance of retaining the title. A nightmare in the German Super Cup match (0:3 to RB Leipzig), dismal results (six defeats in 29 league matches), an incomprehensible defensive game (34 goals conceded in the Bundesliga – Bayer has 15 fewer) and a shameful relegation from the national Cup after losing to a third league club – all this led to Tuchel's departure in June.
It is still possible to save the “trophyless” season: in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Bayern is fighting with Arsenal for reaching the semi-finals (the first the match in London ended with a score of 2:2).
Who is the main character of Leverkusen? Undoubtedly, Bayer helmsman Xabi Alonso. He has achieved enormous heights as a football player (two Champions League trophies, winning the 2010 World Cup and two Euros), and is now building an amazing coaching career.
The chemistry between the Spaniard and Bayer was immediate. He joined the club in October 2022, when the team was in penultimate 17th place in the Bundesliga – Alonso’s boys finished the championship sixth, at the same time reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League. In the new season, the specialist brought the team to the prime level. Lukasz Hradecky, Granit Xhaka, Victor Boniface and the rest of the players gave their best and are now taking the silver salad bowl to Leverkusen.
Despite the interest of Real Madrid, Bayern and Liverpool, the 42-year-old coach with a contract valid until 2026, he is not going to leave the “aspirin” camp. Alonso has already announced that he will continue to work as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
- Interesting fact about Xabi Alonso and Bayern: he remains undefeated against his former club since taking charge of Bayer Leverkusen.” In three matches against Munich, the coach won twice and once again was content with a draw.
Bayer still has no time for rest…after all, there are many goals left for the rest of the season:
- The team is waiting for the German Cup final. On May 25 in Berlin, Kaiserslautern will try to spoil the mood of the Bayer players and fans;
- In the Europa League, the “pharmacists” reached the quarterfinals. And they even played the first match of the confrontation with West Ham (2:0);
- In addition, you can set a cool achievement and finish the German championship without a single defeat. This will be a repeat of the epic triumphs of Arsenal, who became undefeated champions of England in 2004 (26 wins and 12 draws), crushed the Italian Serie A Juventus in 2012 (23 wins and 15 draws) and dominated the Portuguese championship in the season -2012/13 Porto (24 wins and six draws).
Recent Comments