FC Bayern dethroned: Leverkusen’s second championship could follow quickly

Opinion FC Bayern dethroned

The second Leverkusen championship could follow quickly

Status: 14.04.2024 | Reading time: 4 minutes

FC Bayern is no longer German champions. That’s a good thing, because Munich were no longer worthy of the title last year. The fact that they are dethroned by Leverkusen is mainly due to Xabi Alonso. And that must scare Bayern for the near future.

It is finished. Finally. Bayer Leverkusen is German champion. Or to put it another way: FC Bayern is no longer there. Because it was high time for a changing of the guard and for proof that it is actually possible to knock the Munich team off the top after eleven titles in a row. For the league, which will begin negotiations for new TV contracts in the summer, it would have been a disgrace if things had ended up like the last few years. If the cup had gone to Munich again like last May, when BVB suffered this incredible collapse on the last matchday. Because even die-hard Bayern fans would hardly disagree with the title, the record champions were no longer worthy of a title back then.

But it is not appropriate to write again here about Bayern’s ongoing crisis. Or about the weak nerves of the Dortmund team, who had rejoiced too early a year ago. It will be a gauntlet for Westphalia when they have to host the new champions in their stadium in a week. This will probably bring back painful memories, along the lines of: We could have had that too. Luckily for Dortmund, the trophy will not be handed over until the last match day.

Let’s deal with – credit where credit is due – the champion. With “Vizekusen”, like this slightly different club, which was at best tolerated outside its own city, but never loved, and was ridiculed for a long time. The factory club has come a long way since it appeared in the Bundesliga in 1979 – until it has refuted the prejudice that it can never be at the top in the end.

Alonso is the most important reason

This time it succeeded – and in a particularly impressive way. The disgrace from the summer of 2000, when the title that was believed to be certain was lost on the last match day under Christoph Daum, has been erased. The trauma of 2002, when under Klaus Toppmöller not only the championship but also the cup final and the Champions League final were lost, has been overcome. It is quite possible that the current Leverkusen team will also win the cup and the Europa League.

The crucial difference to “Vizekusen” is that Xabi Alonso’s team never stopped believing in themselves. That brings us to the master trainer. Alonso is the most important reason for this success, but by no means the only one.

This title win is also the result of a strong management performance by managing directors Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro. Bayer not only has the best football team of the current season, but also the most homogeneous and mentally robust. A team with character that never gave up even under pressure. The Leverkusen team not only took advantage of Bayern’s weakness, but also put together a perfect squad. Whether Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo, Jonas Hofmann, Victor Boniface or Nathan Tella – almost all of the additions became top performers straight away. They can also learn a lesson from this transfer policy in Munich, Dortmund and Leipzig.

Almost all top performers have long-term commitments

The only circumstance that could possibly have jeopardized Leverkusen’s championship in the final stretch would have been Alonso’s departure – in the worst case to Bayern. But just as the coach has resisted the temptation, the club’s management will not succumb to the temptation to tear this team apart. Almost all top performers have long-term commitments. This increases the likelihood that this exceptionally strong season will not remain an exception.

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That is also a difference to “Vizekusen”: In contrast to Daum and Toppmöller, Xabi Alonso is rewarded for his loyalty by being able to continue working with these strong players. No matter what Bayern, Dortmund or Leipzig do – Leverkusen will also be favorites for the title next season.

It took a long time to get to Leverkusen’s first championship – it could be much quicker to get to the second one.