Former Bayern stars Luiz Gustavo (from left), Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Nils Petersen, Holger Badstuber and David Alaba are celebrating here in the DFB Cup.null / imago images
The new German champion has been determined with five match days to go. And it’s not FC Bayern, but for the first time in the club’s history, Bayer Leverkusen. The Werkself used the first match point, won confidently against Bremen 5-0 and was able to celebrate on the night from Sunday to Monday.
So it’s no wonder that Leverkusen’s sports director Simon Rolfes sat on ARD’s “Morgenmagazin” on Monday and admitted that he hadn’t slept for too long. He couldn’t say exactly how long the party lasted “because the players have moved on.” But the 42-year-old apparently made the jump.
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However, what is already a historic season is set to get even better for the Werkself. Coach Xabi Alonso’s team is in the cup final and will face 1. FC Kaiserslautern on May 25th. Leverkusen could also reach the Europa League final on May 22nd in Dublin. Because of these two finals, Rolfes emphasized: “We still have goals ahead of us, the big celebration will take place after the cup. Yesterday it was more spontaneous, but those are often the best celebrations.”
FC Bayern: Nils Petersen with a gloomy forecast for his former club
A total of three trophies can be won in the current season, but what about Leverkusen’s long-term competitiveness? Is the Werkself just a flash in the pan or a possible long-term rival for Bayern?
Nadiem Amiri gave watson clear words about this. In the interview, the ex-Leverkusen player, who only moved to Mainz 05 during the winter break, said when asked why Bayer would continue to play for titles in the next few years: “Because the club has realized that it can also win titles. And if you don’t play for a title with this coach, with this team, that would be sad.”
Ex-Bayern striker Nils Petersen sees it similarly, and at the same time formulates a gloomy prognosis for the Munich team. The 35-year-old criticized in his current column for “Kicker” that there had been “too often ‘hoping’ at the top level” at FC Bayern this season. “If just half of the team pushes to the limit, they win against 13 league rivals,” he noted. But that’s not enough in the Bundesliga. Especially when a competitor, Leverkusen, is playing an almost perfect season and hasn’t lost yet.
But Petersen also sees the danger that things will be extremely difficult for his former club in the championship race next season. “Bayern’s biggest problem for the next league season is once again: Xabi Alonso!” writes Petersen. Accordingly, the Spaniard from Leverkusen has made a “permanent title contender”.
Petersen is therefore sure that Alonso will pose problems for Bayern again. “Bayern have to fear again – and hope,” he concludes his prediction for the Munich team.
In the congratulatory messages to Leverkusen, they immediately made it clear that the mission for the coming season was to bring the championship trophy back to Munich.
In his weekly column, fan researcher Harald Lange writes exclusively on watson about the things that are currently affecting football in Germany.
Bayer Leverkusen will be crowned German champions for the 2023/24 season on Sunday evening after the game against Werder Bremen! This is one of the safest tips of the current Bundesliga season.
2024-04-15 14:57:00
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