Football – Bayer Leverkusen: The end of the championship team

At least good news was in the middle of this terrible football week, which is behind the relatives of Bayer Leverkusen. Almost at the same time as the violent defeat of the factory club in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup at third division Bielefeld, Carlo Ancelotti created a small cup artwork with Real Madrid. With a spectacular 4: 4 after extra time against Real Sociedad San Sebastián, the Champions League winner reached the final of the Spanish Cup.

Alonso and Madrid

Why is this important for Bavaria? Because Ancelotti is a candidate to take over the Brazilian national team in summer. And this step could move the Leverkusen master coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, where nights like that from Tuesday strengthen the connection to Ancelotti again.

It is tragic that the German Double winner currently has to look at such distant events in order to brighten up the mood. As simple and easy to find the spring of the past championship year on the Rhine, the situation in the final phase of the season 2025 is so complicated. A week ago, Alonso left the opportunity to announce its whereabouts in Leverkusen at the same time of the pre -season. It’s not a good sign. And on Saturday, the team will meet with a strong challenge in the away game on form strong Heidenheimers, which suddenly appear as a very difficult challenge.

In fact, there is a risk that this Bayer team of the past one and a half years could already be in its best phases in its best phases. Also fulfilled by this concern said goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky after the cup out in Bielefeld: “I can’t put into words how it hurts.”

Bad plan

At the latest since this week it has been clear that the defeats of the past few weeks are not isolated events, but part of a downward dynamics that can not even stop the Alonso, which was recently marveled at like a magician. “We have won a lot in the past 25 months and had no big setbacks,” said the coach. The current situation is also new to him. The duels with FC Bayern in the Champions League were disillusioning and recovered the balance of power in favor of the Munich for a short moment. And again the cup-end leaves the impression that Alonso has lost his flair for the right decisions. “Maybe the plan was not good,” he admitted. All of this looks like a crisis that has long since radiated from the square to the harmony in the vicinity of the team.

There is still the vague hope that the team will catch up on the six-point deficit to Bayern and become German champion again. “We are in an interesting position,” says Alonso at the table. It was difficult to imagine that the big act in the Bundesliga succeeds in the Bundesliga before the downfall, now such a coup appears almost impossible. Because the team has lost the most important skills of the Alonso time: the resistance and the ability to find the right solution at difficult moments.

Time of learning

Leverkusen is no longer this fascinating unity: players and trainers make mistakes and have lost the certainty that they can take control in every situation. The aura of indomitable, which the team surrounded in the best times, has evaporated and is very likely not to come back. There is a weak consolation that coach Alonso sees the trophy out of himself as a good lesson. “I learn from every bad moment,” said the Spaniard.

Perhaps the currently injured Florian Wirtz is now also booking this season phase as a time of learning. Like Alonso, the offensive player is faced with the decision as to whether he will be a Leverkusener in the coming year, but has been taking on the club for months in the uncertain whether he will accept the negotiated contract offer, which contains a significant increase in salary and an exit clause. Otherwise it should change because the club needs the transfer income. The sporting problems are thus flanked by a paralyzing standstill on the field of future planning. Of course, it is actually only: there will be no continuation of the sweet time.