Bayer Leverkusen Remains Undefeated!
Perhaps the feel-good story of the 2023/24 European football season will continue its magical run. Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side remained undefeated in all competitions this week after a heart-pounding result midweek against Roma and a comfortable 5-0 win today against VFL Bochum. Leverkusen are in a nearly unprecedented position where there is still pressure on every game, they play despite having an extremely successful season in the bag. Now crowned champions of the Bundesliga weeks ago, the fashion in which they have remained undefeated has been nothing short of remarkable, with stoppage time game savers coming week in and week out.
The latest entry in their pantheon of late dramatic goals came this midweek in the Europa League against Roma. Already up one goal on aggregate, but down a goal in the individual fixture, a late goal against Roma would not help or hurt their chances of advancing to the Europa League Final. And yet, Leverkusen pushed for a goal even though they didn’t need one. They were rewarded for this, as Josip Stanisic slotted home an equalizer seven minutes into stoppage time to keep the undefeated run alive.
What makes Leverkusen’s run so special is that they are not some historical European juggernaut. This year’s Bundesliga title was their first ever, as Bayern Munich has dominated the German competition for the last decade plus. Leverkusen has not spent absurd amounts to achieve this level of consistency the way the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid have. They are, simply put, the best-coached and most unified team out there right now. They are appointment viewing for fans of the beautiful game, especially ones like me who have grown cynical about the state of the game due to the pervasive corruption of FIFA.
Manager Xabi Alonso has taken on castaway veterans like Patrik Schick and Granit Xhaka and combined them with rising stars like Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz to form Europe’s toughest-to-beat team. While the season is already a resounding success, and more is likely to come with Alonso confirming he is staying with the club for at least another year, the road is about to get difficult as they enter the home stretch of the season. It is now Finals season.
Leverkusen will wrap up their Bundesliga campaign next week against FC Augsburg next weekend, and then will play Italian side Atalanta in the Europa League Final on May 22nd. The season will wrap up with the German DFB Pokal Final on May 25th against Kaiserslautern. They have a chance to win an unprecedented treble in spectacular fashion: without losing a game the entire season. They are truly a side that exemplifies the best of the game. They are not the most talented, but they show how important coaching, man management, and excelling in one’s role can be. For that, the football world thanks Bayer Leverkusen. Here’s to those next three games! Prost!
