Only five teams in the Bundesliga have conceded more goals than the 26 Bayer 04 have had to swallow so far. After the Werkself squandered a 2-0 lead for the second time in a row, coach Gerardo Seoane faces a major challenge, and not just in terms of defensive work.
Another 2:0 squandered. After the 2:5 in Frankfurt, it was now only enough for a 2:2 against Hoffenheim. The next disappointment, for which the Leverkusen players blamed laxity (goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky) and mental weakness (centre forward Patrik Schick).
But Gerardo Seoane does not see the same causes despite the parallels. “This time it’s a different story,” argues the coach, “both goals conceded were individual mistakes. It’s not necessarily a mental story. Much more that we gave away the reins of the trade more and more every minute. “
A problem that doesn’t frustrate the 43-year-old so much as spur him on. “I’m motivated by this challenge to get the team there,” explains the Swiss, “that despite this offensive urge, they also manage to take a lead over time. “
Which would require consistency in Bayer’s defensive work. But the opponents have now recognised this as an opportunity, as Hoffenheim’s Angelo Stiller bluntly stated after the 2-2: “They play very, very good football. Really very nice to watch. But we also knew that defensively they tend to take one step less. We wanted to take advantage of that.” Even though Bayer operated from a more defensive basic order right from the start, as in the 2:5 in Frankfurt, when the team parts drifted apart after the break and the team broke down defensively, the last Leverkusen resistance was also lacking against Hoffenheim in the second period and especially at the end.
Moussa Diaby certainly played a significant role in this. The attacker’s running figures are significantly lower than those of his colleagues. Against Hoffenheim, he only covered 9.67 kilometres. By comparison, fellow winger Karim Bellarabi, who also played a slightly more defensive role, ran 12.24 kilometres. Even centre-forward Patrik Schick managed 10.80 kilometres.
As a reminder: At the end of last season, Diaby had lost his place under interim coach Hannes Wolf because the Frenchman’s defensive work was not enough for him. And this is not the only point in which the offensively gifted Diaby lacks discipline.
Seoane on Diaby: “That’s a few cards too many “
The left-footer, who set up the 1-0 with a precise cross and was an asset, was lucky in the first half that his swipe at the head of Hoffenheim’s Sebastian Rudy was not punished as a punch and thus an assault. So the international player “only” saw his eight yellow card at that moment. Which is an unacceptably high figure for a winger after 15 appearances this season. “That’s a point that Moussa has to improve,” Seoane complains, “that’s a few cards too many.”
The fact that the 23-year-old picked up a completely unnecessary red card in injury time confirms the coach’s assessment. “Of course he didn’t help us at that moment, even though there were only three or four minutes left to play,” criticised Seoane, who also expects a development in this respect: “He’s a young player who has great qualities, who is also often only slowed down by fouls. That is normal. He has to be able to deal with that frustration. He certainly needs to improve in the area of tolerance. “
How will the overall statics develop without Diaby?
In Freiburg, the turbo dribbler will be missing for the second time this season due to suspension. Given Diaby’s offensive performances, a bitter loss. On the other hand, it will possibly become clear on Sunday what role the Frenchman’s suboptimal backward movement plays for the overall statics.
Tapsoba has “let himself be cooked off on the side “
However, to pin everything on Diaby alone would be unfair. The problems in the centre of defence were also evident in the last two games, with Jonathan Tah faltering and Edmond Tapsoba in particular cutting a poor figure in both games. The defender, who was so strong in his first one and a half years at Bayer, is still looking for consistency in his game after a long injury lay-off.
At the moment, the strong central defender is too often guilty of careless ball losses or misplaced passes. Against Hoffenheim, he looked bad before the 2:2. “He allowed himself to be played off on the side,” Seoane noted. Tapsoba could do with a break. However, Odilon Kossounou did not deliver a letter of application in the Europa League in Budapest either, and also allowed himself weaknesses in the passing game. Even if the Ivorian did his job satisfactorily against Hoffenheim as a right-back for the yellow-suspended Jeremie Frimpong, he does not necessarily appear to be the necessary solution against Freiburg’s good pressing.
Hincapie on the left, Sinkgraven in the team?
If Seoane wanted to change, Piero Hincapie, who is currently a left-back, would probably be a more suitable candidate, for whom Daley Sinkgraven could then occupy the left side of defence. Indeed, Leverkusen’s coach not only has the mental construction site to work on.
