In the first weeks of everyday pandemic football, when memories of full stadiums were still fresh, it happened time and again that teams would gather in front of their fan blocks, perform dances, sing and celebrate. The inclination towards the familiar rituals of the past decades was still strong before they finally gave way to a new reality of emptiness.
The scenes that played out in front of the guest block on Wednesday evening after Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 win in Cologne therefore seemed a bit strange, also because this victory was neither a close nor an unexpected sensation: The table leaders defeated a relegation candidate. And yet the enthusiasm that the Leverkusen players expressed in their cheerful ceremony was understandable. At times Bayer Leverkusen had played football to a level of perfection that is rarely seen in the Bundesliga.
The Cologne trainer Markus Gisdol didn’t even want to be annoyed by this crushing defeat, he knew: his team had no chance that evening. “I remembered the game against Bayern Munich when we were in top shape,” said Gisdol. Back then in February, Cologne had a very good phase as now. But they went down 1: 4. “Leverkusen played something like that against us today,” said Gisdol. “With an incredible speed, with an incredible joy of playing. We had no answer to that. “
Just in time for the big year-end duel with FC Bayern on Saturday evening (6.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and Sky), the Leverkusen team raised their game to a level with which they would hardly have to fear an opponent in the Champions League . “There was a lot of energy in the team,” said coach Peter Bosz, who was “very satisfied” with the performance of his team, which scored four very nice goals. After this match day, the Rhenish factory club is not only the front runner, but also the only undefeated team in the league. The fans were also able to look forward to the highest away win in the history of the Rhenish Bundesliga soccer games, but perhaps the most impressive were the small details of this demonstration of strength.
The jubilation after Mitchell Weiser’s 0-1 after four minutes, for example, when almost all the players pounced on their colleague with compassionate joy because they simply allowed him this sense of achievement. Weiser is rarely used in the current season, is not even registered for the Europa League and only played because Lars Bender was injured while warming up. He is perhaps the player who suffered the most during these sweet weeks, now everyone felt with him in this personal moment of success. Another example of the spirit of this team was the conquest of the ball by Nadiem Amiri against Cologne’s Sava Cestic at the score of 4-0, which the Leverkusen player celebrated with clenched fists like a game-winning duel in his own penalty area. Leverkusen are currently feeling all their strength and savoring this feeling to the fullest.
The table leader is inspired by the joy of the game, the success and the luck, which is rare in football, which is generated by a team spirit that goes well beyond professional cooperation. Sports director Simon Rolfes described the Werkself as a “really conspiratorial unit”, and the impressions from the pitch confirmed this finding very clearly. The record champions from Munich actually come at exactly the right moment. “Of course Bayern can be beaten,” said Amiri, he just didn’t know exactly how. But it would be amazing if these Leverkusen players couldn’t come up with a good plan to also face Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski and all the other Munich players with a real challenge.
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