Don’t you think you’ve read a similar headline somewhere? Yes, too. However, a small toy with words is enough and the view of one and the same team looks completely different. Bayern arrived in BayArena, in front of whom his knees had just shaken for a confident domestic moment. After less than a year, the Munichers again crushed all Leverkusen’s faith in themselves. Chance? I do not think.
On Friday night, however, “Werkself” fans had to grab their bellies as they watched in amusement as the failure of the hated Cologne, and it’s hard to say what was behind the worst “Effzeh” performance of the season. Or … we know the answer. Before the match, Steffen Baumgart rummaged through the grass between his fingers as always, after which he stated that the lawn in Sinsheim does not grow to the same height as the one at the dome. Leverkusen, with a similar explanation after the home game, can hardly stand up to the “goats”, but both rivals can say it all in a week. Rheinderby is fast approaching.
Did you think that Eintracht’s troubles had disappeared with a shocking success in Munich? But where. Frankfurt was returned to the ground by Vladimir Darida, who played a spectacular 200th match in the Bundesliga. Hertha recorded the first goal directly, the second one arranged the action in its infancy. Fredi Bobic, who proved to be a rival on the SGE grounds after the summer departure, finally smiled together with Darida. And now he probably won’t just go to Hessen as a sports director of the Berlins on his own.
While Frankfurt suffers from a lack of gaming well-being, Stuttgart has to deal with player outages after coronavirus infection. That’s what it looked like in Mönchengladbach. Borussia pounded tirelessly on the guests, producing 30 shots, but did not win. The phantom from the center of VfB’s defense Konstantinos Mavropanos simply did everything he could, for which he earned an invitation to the rounds next to the stars of Bayern. And from Sportschau and Kicker magazines.
Wolfsburg also suffers. The dream start is this, now the “Wolves” have been waiting for three points for three rounds.
It simply doesn’t work everywhere, as in Säbener Straße …
Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Mnichov 1-5
17.10. 15:30
When was the last time we caught Bayern with such passivity? Beware, the previous sentence is not meant in any derogatory way. It was just an unusual sight. All 11 FCB players held together on their own half and left the initiative to the opponent, whose Bavarian formation surprised even more than the spectators. This is a picture between the 5th and 30th minute of the match. Leverkusen tried, but under the weight of strange tension, he spoiled the trivial passes. Surprise and nervousness tied his legs perfectly.
But it’s not much to wonder. We really don’t know Bayern like that. For example, last December, under Hans Flick, the Munich people defended Leverkusen in a completely different way. The extended defensive line lurked just behind the middle of the field, which regularly exposed the approaching wings of Werkself to a position out of play. This plan has borne fruit, why not keep it?
This time, however, Bayern managed everything honestly from his own gate. Julian Nagelsmann’s party looked exemplary and disciplined, in stark contrast to the nervous other side. Bayer’s footballers were impatiently leaving their positions, which, however, only caused more chaos during the offensive effort. Two coaches, two systems, the same frustration on the other side of the barricade.
Back then, Werkself looked even worse. Absolutely unprepared. We are already used to the fact that from the extreme backs of Bayern, it is primarily Alphonso Davies who is pushing forward. Unlike the Canadian partner, Niklas Süle remained close to the stoppers, after which the position of the second of the wingbacks was taken over by the winger Serge Gnabry. The second wing in the person of Leroy Sane suddenly had a much looser field of action and with Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka supported Lewandowski nicely from the middle. The resulting 3-1-5-1 perfectly finished home the 4-2-3-1. The main difference came in the middle of the field, where the double-pivots Werkself Kerem Demirbay and Nadie Amiri were simply not enough for the killer trio “Roten”. .
Gerardo Seoane was clearly ahead. Nagelsmann won. What’s more, he seems to have finally found the perfect role for Sana. He was often the target of criticism, especially at the beginning of the year, but he could not be criticized on Sunday. Not only was he one of the drivers of the offensive, but he also helped in the defense, and thanks to his work, the otherwise feared Bayer duo Jeremie Frimpong-Moussa Diaby did not cut himself at all. Leverkusen therefore pushed forward from the left side, but it simply does not approach the quality and harmony of his colleagues from the right.
Despite all the differences outlined, however, it is surprising how quickly Leverkusen collapsed. Four goals collected in seven minutes? Wasn’t there anyone to put the team in the battens? Well … he didn’t find it. The assumption that Leverkusen lacks a leader and, on the contrary, has quite a lot of slackers or moody players has been more or less confirmed. Only Lukáš Hrádecký looks a bit competent, but he doesn’t catch that much from the gate (the closest line to the maximum). Residue? The often clumsy Jonathan Tah and Mitchel Bakker had something to do with themselves. The home team simply trotted the lawn alibistically without trying to change anything.
Unfortunately, Bayer fans did not see any change even after the break. We can only guess what the players said in the booth, but judging by their speech after coming from the booths, it was nothing motivating. Rather, they all came to terms with an irreversible fate. At the same time, the guests have already released their feet from the gas and the goal for 1: 5 should otherwise bring the necessary impulse. Not in the case of Leverkusen. He remained in lethargy and continued the struggle without a soul. Of course, it all agrees with the assumption outlined above. Nevertheless, the degree of laxity and disinterest surprised unpleasantly.
With the summer arrival of Seaoane and a fairly decent boost, Werkself may have believed that they could take advantage of a possible weaker start for Bayern under Nagelsmann. They believed that they were finally strong this year. But, just like a year ago, it was enough for the Bavarians to arrive and bring a mirror to BayArena.
And so, after a few weeks, it’s time to return to the old order: Leverkusen is clearly not mentally ready to fight for the title. Well, Holt will stay second forever
