Before kick-off, Borussia Mönchengladbach thanked Jonas Hofmann. Not because he switched to Bayer Leverkusen without further ado, but because he had previously played for Gladbach for seven and a half years. Vice-Presidents Rainer Bonhof and Hans Meyer presented Hofmann with a picture frame full of photographic memories on the pitch. The 31-year-old Hofmann has witnessed upswing and downfall at Borussia. Now he prefers to play in Leverkusen, with the team that won 3-0 (2-0) in Mönchengladbach on Saturday evening.
The very confident Leverkusen team could have a say in the title this season. In this form, disappointing Gladbachers should at best be in the extended middle of the table. Hofmann wants to be at the European Championship next year – Leverkusen is a much better stage for that.
Of course, some Gladbach fans whistled when Hofmann passed the ball, but anyone who saw the duel between these two teams must understand that the international Hofmann would rather play in this Leverkusen ensemble than in this Gladbacher. “The return was emotional,” said Hofmann afterwards, “and I had expected one or the other whistle.” As the clear winner, he still left Borussia Park quite satisfied.
The Leverkusen dominated the game at will. Your goal to make it 1-0 in the 18th minute was staged for an instructional video. Leverkusen’s new signing Granit Xhaka (formerly also in Gladbach) lobbed the ball from the center to the left to Alejandro Grimaldo, who headed the ball in front of the goal, where Victor Boniface forehead pushed it over the goal line. Another indication of how fabulously Leverkusen have strengthened this season.
A splendid volley from Xhaka from 17 meters to the inside of the post and from there into the goal three minutes later will not be the goal of the month for August only because shortly before a Leverkusen player was a few millimeters offside and this dream goal was subsequently recognized was failed.
The Bayer team plays according to a perfect knitting pattern
Leverkusen’s goal to make it 2-0 at half-time in the sixth minute of added time was a copy of the first goal, only this time from the right and without a header. Xhaka lobbed the ball out of the center to the right, where Hofmann volleyed it in front of goal and Jonathan Tah volleyed it in goal. Leverkusen played according to a perfect pattern – and Gladbach were powerless.
During the break, Borussia coach Gerardo Seoane was unable to give his team a recipe against Leverkusen’s game. When Florian Wirtz sent Boniface to make it 3-0 with a precise through ball in the 53rd minute, Gladbach seemed almost uninvolved. “We have to be more active defensively,” Seoane said after the game. After their 4: 4 at the start in Augsburg, the Gladbachers are now already conceding seven goals. “The win is well deserved,” said Seoane about the 0: 3, “Leverkusen have a lot of quality both individually and collectively.”
Bayer coach Xabi Alonso seemed almost modest. “I’m satisfied, we played well,” he said in his still rather brittle German. They did without the two more goals that his Leverkusen team would have needed to catch leaders Union Berlin on goal. With the 3-0 lead, they considered their day’s work done and allowed the Gladbachers more possession of the ball. But not a goal.
In the 81st minute Alonso substituted the loanee from FC Bayern, Josip Stanisic, for the left central defender in the back three, Odilon Kossounou. Bayer’s squad is already deep, but Southampton striker Nathan Tella is reportedly another player close to arriving. Maybe he can already play when Leverkusen meet Darmstadt next Saturday and play at FC Bayern Munich on Friday evening two weeks later.
It will be a top game, because Leverkusen also recommended themselves in the second game for the highest consecration this season. Understandably, the coach Alonso is not interested in that at this point. The Spaniard had already said on Sky before the game in Gladbach: “We’re not thinking anything until May – we’re very calm in the cabin.”
