Undefeated to the title: After the championship trophy, coach Xabi Alonso and his Leverkusen team want to win the next trophy.
Photo: image/osnapix
When the Open Media Day required by UEFA for European Cup finalists took place in Leverkusen last week, Patrik Schick was confronted with a question that is currently being discussed frequently. Does he think it is possible that Bayer Leverkusen is not only the most dominant team in the Bundesliga, but even the strongest team in all of Europe? The striker didn’t have to think for long: “Because we’re not playing in the Champions League, it’s difficult to judge it that way, but I would say: At the moment we are the team with the best form in Europe.”
The representatives of Atalanta Bergamo are likely to agree with this, as they will try to end the Werkself’s streak of 51 games unbeaten in the Europa League final this Wednesday. However, the Italians would have to look into the matter of “form” in more detail, because it is not just about the classic meaning of this term in sport. Beyond the current state of this team, this squad has become recognizable as a work of art – formed not from the highest quality material the market has to offer, but with the brilliance of a virtuoso.
The importance of coach Xabi Alonso has often been described, and key players Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz were also examined in detail. But the man behind it remains in the background even now, when it’s all about the trophies. Sports director Simon Rolfes has without a doubt put together the most fascinating Bundesliga ensemble that has existed in many years. A work that has now been viewed for a year and that continually shows new facets.
At some point this season, Xabi Alonso was pleased to realize that he was coaching “a team with soul” because the players in the given system complement each other in exactly such a way that their strengths shine through and their weaknesses remain invisible. And permanently through all phases and starting eleven changes.
The transfer work of last summer was important because, with Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Granit Xhaka and Alejandro Grimaldo, players were signed who took the team to a new level. But the full quality of this subtly woven squad only became visible over time – when Boniface was injured, when there was no longer a senior team, when Alonso rotated and the team still got better and better. Rudi Völler, Rolfes’ predecessor, recently said that “this should not be underestimated in this day and age with the many games that the big clubs have to play over the course of a season.”
The defensive system with the three-man chain is perfectly tailored to the strengths of the defenders: Jonathan Tah is the careful organizer, Edmond Tapsoba is quick and strong in building up play, Odilon Kossonou can control small, agile opponents, even though he himself is rather tall and robust. The double six with Xhaka and initially Ezequiel Palacios harmonized brilliantly in the first half of the season and became even better when Palacios was injured and Robert Andrich was used regularly. And Florian Wirtz plays in a completely different world anyway.
The fascination of this squad is particularly visible in the roles of wingers Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong. The latter can live out his offensive exuberance because there is half a team behind him ready to fill the holes. Grimaldo, meanwhile, has that special left foot that can cross and shoot fabulously on goal. And if one of the two wingers is missing, Nathan Tella or Josip Stanisic appear, who can take on the roles in their own way but entirely in the well-known spirit of the collective.
There are numerous other details that work in a similar way, even goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky doesn’t always play because Matej Kovar gets playing time in the cup competitions, possibly even in the final against Bergamo. “A squad becomes successful when there are many individual success stories,” Rolfes recently explained. “The feeling must prevail with the player: I give something, but I also get a lot in return.” This simple principle has rarely worked better than in this Leverkusen successful environment.
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