Meister Leverkusen is vulnerable defensively and repeatedly lapses into inconsistency. A problem that bothers the team and coach Xabi Alonso.
The numbers are devastating from Leverkusen’s point of view. After six Bundesliga matchdays, the double winners have already conceded twelve goals – as many as in the entire first half of the season and half as many as in the entire 2023/24 season. Only one reigning champion had conceded more goals than Bayer currently have after six games: 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1998/99 – at that time, there were even 13.
The problem is well known and has been discussed many times. Nevertheless, the Werkself have repeatedly let themselves down in recent weeks. Last season, Xabi Alonso’s team did not lose a single point after taking the lead, but this season they have already lost seven points. Bayer have already given away a 2-0 lead four times – most recently in the 2-2 draw against newly promoted Kiel before the international break.
What are the consequences of the second inflammatory speech at Bayer?
And so the requirement for the game against Frankfurt and the following duels in the three consecutive English weeks is clear: not only offensively, the reigning champions must work well collectively, but also defensively. They can’t afford to be too passive, they have to keep the center closed and compact to avoid being caught off guard through the middle, they have to play their duels with full consistency – and they have to finish games with focus. Unlike against Kiel.
Leverkusen seemed to have checked that box after taking a 2-0 lead, falling back into inconsistency. And so Lukas Hradecky gave the second Bayer speech of the season after Granit Xhaka. “It can’t go on like this,” the captain and goalkeeper raged. Twelve goals conceded after six games – this statistic is “insane,” grumbled Hradecky, who also missed “the endless greed, this endless will” to decide the game.
Bayer coach Xabi Alonso calls for more consistency
The question is: what comes after this wake-up call? As Hradecky demanded, will everyone really wake up now? Before the clash with the in-form Frankfurt side, who are currently in third place, Xabi Alonso explained the defensive vulnerability: “It’s an issue, we’ve talked about it often. We have to improve it.” He could say a lot about that now, but: ‘We have to show on the pitch that we are competitive, that we have this mentality with and against the ball – and stay focused for 95 minutes.’
Against the extremely strong SGE with their high-speed sprinters in attack, that is of course of particular importance. For Bayer, it will be much more about ball control, counter-pressing and the right counter-attack defense. But the fact that the team is capable of serious, concentrated performances at times is well known after the games at Bayern Munich (1:1) and against AC Milan (1:0). Xabi Alonso’s call for more consistency therefore applies in general, not just for this Saturday.
