Leverkusen – Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand addressed the team’s recent string of draws and offered high praise for young attacker Montrell Culbreath following Saturday’s 1-1 result against Bayern Munich. The post-match press conference, held at the BayArena, saw Hjulmand fielding questions alone as Bayern’s Vincent Kompany departed early following disagreements with the officiating crew.
Leverkusen’s Frustrating Run of Draws
Despite showing improvement in recent weeks, Bayer Leverkusen continues to find itself unable to secure victories. Saturday’s draw against Bayern marked the third consecutive match ending in a stalemate for Hjulmand’s side. Prior to facing the Bundesliga champions, Leverkusen drew with Freiburg in league play and split the points with Arsenal in a Champions League mid-week fixture. Before that, a narrow win over Hamburger SV was sandwiched between draws against Olympiacos, Mainz, and a loss to Union Berlin.
Hjulmand, visibly agitated during his opening remarks, emphasized the team’s overall performance despite the lack of results. “We played well man-for-man and didn’t concede much,” he stated. “We [Jonas Hofmann] even scored the winning goal before it was ruled a few centimeters offside. I think, as a coach, I must say we performed well. We defended well and played with passion and power. We kept our structure and played a good game.”
The Leverkusen manager also highlighted the team’s performance against Arsenal. “We also played well against Arsenal,” Hjulmand noted. “We did so much right. We just can’t score the goals. So it goes in football. For me, structure is the most important thing in football. That’s the top priority. Get that right, and then you can play with passion, power, and personality.”
Hjulmand acknowledged areas for improvement, stating, “We do need to work on our pressing, our compactness, and our transition game. But we have made progress in recent weeks. Sometimes we don’t get the spaces properly sorted. We have the opportunities, but [as was the case with the offside goal], we need a few more nanoseconds of patience in our transition game.”
Spotlight on Montrell Culbreath
The conversation shifted to the promising development of 18-year-old German-American attacker Montrell Culbreath. Culbreath, who was included in Hjulmand’s Champions League squad earlier in the autumn, continues to earn increased playing time in the Bundesliga. Having scored a league goal prior to the winter break, he has featured in Leverkusen’s last three league matches, starting two of them. Saturday saw him partner with fellow German-American Malik Tillmann in attack.
Hjulmand spoke extensively about Culbreath, offering his assessment in both English and German. “He’s really made excellent progress in the past month,” Hjulmand began in German. “He’s got the basics down. He does it all. He’s always ready. He never checks out of the game. He always shows the right reaction and makes the right decisions. He’s always there. He’s done well in training. He’s naturally a ten, but we’ve been working on his defending in training. He played a top match today. Many thanks to our academy trainers. We’ve got a player with great potential.”
Switching to English, Hjulmand elaborated on what he meant by “the right decisions.” “When one looks at a player, one must first-and-foremost look at the personality shown in training sessions. He never drops out. He’s always paying attention. He’s not afraid to engage with players physically.”
He continued, “He has a great technique with both his left and right foot. He has a very good finish with both his left and right foot, but the most important thing is his personality. He’s never out of the game. He’s always active. He never switches off. He’s always alert and in the game both offensively and defensively. He’s the complete package.”
Hjulmand emphasized Culbreath’s rapid adaptation to the professional level. “The step from academy football [to the professional level] is a very big difference and he adapts very quickly. It all comes down to his personality. He’s very aware. He always connects to the game.”
Philipp Ahrens of Bild Zeitung inquired about Culbreath’s previous appearances for Leverkusen’s U19 team against Bayern Munich’s youth squad. The discussion then turned to Culbreath’s international future, as he is eligible to represent both Germany and the United States. Hjulmand, speaking in German, deferred to national team coach Julian Nagelsmann on that matter. “That’s not my decision. [Bundestrainer] Julian [Nagelsmann] does that. I just wish to say that we have a really good player from our academy. That’s great for us as a team and a club. That’s great. He’s super.”
Bayer Leverkusen will look to break their draw streak next week when they travel to face [next opponent to be confirmed]. The team will undoubtedly be hoping to translate their strong performances into tangible results, and the continued development of young talents like Montrell Culbreath offers a promising sign for the future. Fans can follow the team’s progress and official updates on the club’s official website.
Related reading
