The title race ended in a fog of red smoke and a 90th minute hattrick from a wonderkid that is simply sensational and somehow only 20 years of age.
In a match where you’d think that nerves would get to these players, they scored 5 goals and looked no different than they have done in the entirety of 23/24.
Even though we all saw this coming, the reality of Bayer Leverkusen winning their first league title in their 120-year history only hit when the BayArena was already flooded with home fans.
Xabi Alonso took over as the Bayer Leverkusen coach halfway through the 22/23 football season and a year and a half later, Bayer Leverkusen were confirmed as Deutsche Meister before they lost a single match
As of April 19, 2024, They hold the record for the longest unbeaten run in the top 5 European leagues. 44 games and counting. A record that’s been held together by immense hard work and large amount of black magic.
It was very shakey for them, but they managed to get passed West Ham in the Europa league, sending them to the semis and are set to take on 2nd division side, FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final
There is very likely much more to come.
I’ve made a couple of videos on Bayer Leverkusen this year. And for good reason too. They’ve been remarkable. If they go on to win everything this season, you can expect more.
But in those videos, I mostly spoke about their journey up until this season. In this video, I wanted to talk about the expectational things that have happened for them during this season. The black magic, the potential future and some other fun things I’ve read about over the past few days.
With that being said, how good is this Bayer Leverkusen team, really?
Black magic
On the way to the title deciding match, the team bus slowly made it’s way through the crowd of highly excited fans. Not nervous fans, that’s for sure. They had nothing to worry about- they were just there to party.
I’ve never been to Leverkusen. But from what I’ve heard, it’s not exactly party central. A population of roughly 165000 and best known for the pharmaceutical company that happens to own the club, this achievement is nothing short of miraculous.
It’s one of those moments that you can’t help but admire from a fan perspective- unless you’re a fan of Bayern Munich, Cologne or Borussia Mönchengladbach.
And while we’re on the perspective from fans around the world, nobody expected this from them.
It’s quite telling that even when Leverkusen were pulling ahead in the title race 5 point, 8 points even more in the lead, people were still sensing that it was possible that Bayern did the impossible.
Ask anyone in Germany about the league and you’ll hear this more often than not. Honestly, you’ll likely hear it next year too:
“Everyone always thinks that Bayern will find a way to win it somehow”.
And you can’t really blame people for thinking that. That black magic has been at the Allianz for over at decade. However, it was Leverkusen that had black magic on their side this time around.
In January, against RB Leipzig in the league, at the Red Bull Arena, Leverkusen were trailing at halftime, and it looked too steep a mountain to climb.
According to Simon Rolfes, managing director of Leverkusen,
“We only had 13 available players, half the squad were injured or at the Africa Cup of Nations. Things weren’t going for us.”
If there was ever a time to drop points, this was it. But it didn’t happen, they fought back to 2-2 and in the 91st minute, Piero Hincapié secured a famous 3-2 win away. Unbelievable.
And while we’re on the topic, Leverkusen have looked as though they would lose their undefeated record so many times this season, only to up and score late goals and keep the energy flowing. It was almost as if fate itself was sitting on the shoulder of Xabi Alonso.
What I’m about to do here is run through the times that this team have called upon the dark arts to dig themselves out of trouble. Brace yourself… Because it’s a long list. Honestly, it’s a list so long, I might even miss something.
First came on the 4th matchday of the season. Bayern Munich vs Leverkusen. This was their first test of the season and by far the biggest. Funnily enough, Leverkusen had actually beaten Bayern Munich in the reverse fixture of the 22/23 Bundesliga season. Xabi’s first encounter with Munich while at the Werkself.
But this time around, when they were heading into the 94th minute at the Allianz arena down by 2 goals to 1, nobody expected them to come back. They did. Exequil Palacios with a last-minute penalty that sent a major shockwave.
It happened again against Augsberg in January. They were heading towards a 0-0 draw here. But then… Black magic. Same time- 90+4. Same guy- excequil palacios.
In the DFB Pokal, it was the same story. SV Sandhausen, second round. 2-2 at 84 minutes played, 5-2 at 90+2.
VFB Stutgart in the quarter finals- 2-2 at 89 minutes played. Jonathan Tah then steps up with a towering header to make it 3-2 a minute later
And I’m sure you get the idea by now, but the Europa league has been no different.
Their biggest victims are Azerbarbaijan club, Qarabag. Shame on Leverkusen because they produced late drama against this team not once, not twice, but three times. First in the group stages, then in the round of 16.
Patrick Shcick, who missed out on much of the early season through injury showed that he was not to be forgotten. In the second leg of the round of 16, Qarabag were up 2-1 in the 92nd minute. But this man rifled in in the 92rd minute and the 98th minute.
And then the most recent exhibit of black magic- West Ham in the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Back against the wall, with a goal down and being pressed away from home. 89th minute equaliser to keep the unbeaten streak alive. Jeremie Frimpong, who should have scored 3 in the second half at the very least, got that goal.
They can’t keep getting away with this.
The frequency that this seems to be happening at is astounding when you lay it all out like that. Whatever Alonso’s been feeding his players. Boy oh boy is it working.
But I skipped over 1 result in that list. Maybe the sole result that will be played back for future generations when they look back upon this season.
The Bayern Munich reverse fixture.
This one also included a late goal. However, this late goal, by Jeremie Frimpong made it 3-0 to Leverkusen.
It was a match that made everyone realise that these men weren’t being displaced at the top anytime soon. 5 points clear and that gap just kept growing.
All of this came as a surprise to all of us watching on. But if you ask the players, they noticed something was up from the very start of the season.
“We’d lost some players, but when we started the friendly games, you could see how it was going to be. Nobody really knew each other, but we were still playing really well.”
Jeremie Frimpong said this a few weeks ago, when reflecting on how well the season had gone for Leverkusen. This is just further proof of how incredible this story has been for them.
Due to the departures of players, there was a degree of familiarity that was lost in the dressing room. Karim Bellarabi, top scorer, Moussa Diaby, Mitchel Bakker and many more departed.
However, of the players that were brought in, almost every single one of them came in and contributed immensely. There was a clear plan in place to make sure this season worked out the way that it did.
According to the Athletic, who apparently have access to Leverkusen insiders, Leverkusen managed to snag every single one of their 1st choice targets. Something that is extremely rare for even the Real Madrid’s or Bayern Munichs of the world.
And something made all the more impressive based on the talent that they actually brought in. These weren’t run of the mill players that nobody had on their radar either.
They brought in experience in the form of Granit Xhaka and Jonas Hoffman. Both players in their 30s who, according to Simon Rolfes, were specifically brought in to act as “role models”.
The dressing room was a bit disorganised and their certain group or cliques that had formed. There was no infighting or drama or anything like that. But there certainly was a lack of unity and structure.
Players like Jonathan Tah and Lucas Hradecky had been at the club for a very long time and were experienced themselves. But Leverkusen could certainly do with some freshening up in a few important areas.
Standout players
Alex Grimaldo, who may very well be my pick for signing of 2023/24 season purely due to the fact that he was free and that he’s contributed so much it’s scary. The left back leads the Bundesliga in assists, with 13 at the moment and 9 goals. I remember thinking that it was odd that he was joining Leverkusen, seeing as he was rumoured to be going back to Spain or one of the traditionally bigger clubs almost every season that he was Benfica. Then he not only goes for free, but to Leverkusen.
The same can be said about Xhaka, Boniface, Hofmann, Tella and more. I doubt anyone was asking for them to be erased from their previous club rosters. And I obviously mean full respect to Leverkusen, but there were definitely extenuating circumstances that had led to the wanting to make their way to the Bay Arena.
Those circumstances are among other factors, Xabi Alonso, Xabi Alonso and Xabi Alonso.
Not only is this man one of the most successful footballers to ever live, but he’s probably the best passer at Leverkusen at the moment. Maybe even in the entirety of Germany. Having this kind of reputation and skillset is bound to have people eager to learn from you.
Granit Xhaka spent 4 years with Borussia Monchengladbach, so he’s no stranger to the Bundesliga and definitely a familiar face to most Bundesliga fans. But he’s likely more widely known for his time in England. That’s due to his Arsenal, of course.
The Arteta revolution was something that he was at the centre of, which makes the fact that he was public enemy number 1 at the emirates so crazy to think about.
In 2019, there was an incident where Xhaka was subbed off after putting in a lacklustre performance in a 2-2 draw vs crystal palace. He was booed off the pitch by his own fans and he clearly had had enough of the abuse, essentially telling the crowd to piss off.
He was the captain of the club too, which made this incident all the more sensational. Well, he wasn’t the captain anymore after this incident. The armband was passed off to Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
However, by the time 2023 came around, he was one of the best 8s that the Premier League had to offer. Aggressive across the pitch, easy going deep and dangerous in attack.
Xabi and Leverkusen must’ve seen this and thought Xhaka had the perfect makings of a 6. Because as soon as he went back to Germany, that’s where he was placed. Being in the centre of the pitch comes with a large amount of responsibility.
And, of course this signing was a little more strategic than that. Xhaka’s leadership, international reputation and experience has been cited as instrumental in bringing cohesion to the squad off the pitch too.
Good news for the gunners is that Nathan Tella was Arsenal academy player for about 10 years between 2007 and 2017 too. So, there’s that, I guess. So if they don’t win the league, there’s that.
Lukas Hradecky has been the goalkeeper in the league and played his part well. But then they all also have Matěj Kovář, as their cup competition goalkeeper. And remember that they’ve gone undefeated in every match so far. Not just the league.
They have 5 players with double digits in terms of goalscoring across all competitions. And two of them are defenders. They have 6 players with double digits for assists too. There is some overlap here, but that’s to be expected.
Victor Boniface has had some injury struggles this year, particularly in January, as he had to miss out on AFCON with Nigeria. But still nobody in Leverkusen has scored more than him. Wirtz shares his record in the league with 11, and the rest of this table shows you why they were able to survive just fine without their designated scorer.
And on the topic of players that are indispensable for Leverkusen, we have to talk about Florian Wirtz. This guy is a real special breed. One of those wonderkids that hasn’t lost the hype around him and actually turned out to be a superstar. He had some quiet time in 2022 after suffering an ACL tear. And was out for 10 months.
He even missed out on the World Cup, after being named in Hansli Flick’s squad, but had to withdraw due to the injury. I rate if they had this version of him in Qatar, things may have ended differently. But all the same, you have to imagine he’ll get his chances at the Euros.
There are so many great things that can be said about Wirtz. To the point where his hattrick on the day that decided it all wasn’t all that surprising. The amount of topspin he got on that second goal was outrageous, though.
And I must admit, it tickled me a little bit to see him basically have to tell grown men that were invading the pitch to cool it down until the final whistle. It just so happened that the ref didn’t think it was possible to get the invaders off the pitch and decided to blow the whistle right there and then. It really looked like an insane atmosphere.
Neverlosin
It’s been 22 years since 2002, where Leverkusen were runners up in the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the DFB Pokal all in the same season. But we’ve been constantly reminded of this showing all the way throughout this season. That and all the other failures over the years.
With this combination, Leverkusen were able to overcome one of the saddest curses in the world of football. A team labelled Neverkusen for so long, no more.
On a final note, I’ve made a note not to talk about Bayern Munich or Harry Kane all too much in this video. And that’s purely because this is not their time in the spotlight.
But I do feel like I have to at the very least mention just one more record that Leverkusen has left in the mud: Kingley Coman’s crazy consecutive winning streak.
Coman is 27 years old and believe it or not, he has won a league title in every single season of his career. 2 for PSG, 2 for Juventus and 8 for Bayern Munich. It’s a wild stat. There was even a year where he moved from Juventus to Bayern Munich and was eligible to collect a winners medal for both teams and did exactly that. 2015/16.
Really goes to show that Harry Kane’s curse was more powerful than Koman’s record.
Unluckiest man in Germany.
This season has been an unbelievable journey for Bayer Leverkusen. and the fact that Xabi Alonso is staying on for at least another year, I’d think bodes insanely well for their future progress.
In all reality, Bayern Munich will recruit heavily and aim to right their shop. And they probably will. But that’s a topic to cover in the far future. And even further, Leverkusen are in good shape to win even more this season. But, if I’m being honest, what they’ve already done is insane. (
Invincible or not, they will forever be immortal.