Bayer Leverkussen - The Rise to Success

by Quentin Love

Bayer Leverkusen is currently 1st place in the Bundesliga (the German soccer league) under manager Xabi Alonso. The surprising underdogs are undefeated in every competition and have only drawn two times in the German Bundesliga.  

After all this success, there’s only one question – how did they get to this point? Last season, when Xabi Alonso, a former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich player, took charge of the side and struck success.. Before he took over, the side were second to last in the league despite having talents such as Moussa Diaby. Xabi Alonso, who had no prior experience in top-flight management, led Leverkusen to a Europa League semi-final, and 6th place in the Bundesliga. This feat was quite impressive, but the expectations were never this Bundesliga, which qualified them for the Europa League.

high for the season. Xabi Alonso’s team hasn’t just been getting the results, they’ve been playing beautiful soccer. They rank first in the Bundesliga in successful passes in open play, and 2nd in goals scored, shots, and possession. Their individual players are also amazing, but a few names come to mind. Victor Boniface has been tearing up the Bundesliga with his goal-scoring prowess. Jonas Hofmann along with Florian Wirtz are doing wonders in the attack as well. Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong are completely dominating from the left and right wing-back positions respectively. 

Their Europa League form couldn’t be better as well. They topped their Europa League group, winning all six games in the group stage. They haven’t just been winning against mid-table Bundesliga teams. They’ve beaten RB Leipzig along with draws against Dortmund and Bayern Munich. It hasn’t all been good for Bayer Leverkusen, since recently Victor Boniface has been sidelined with a 3-month injury, which is a huge loss for Xabi Alonso’s side.

There are also many reasons why this is such an impressive feat. For the last eleven seasons, Bayern Munich has dominated the league, winning the last 11 titles in a row. And with a lot of players leaving for AFCON (an international African soccer competition), the doubts are clear. Even among our very own students in 447, there are doubts. Eric Wu from 602, along with Jonah Dziky from 604, both think that Bayern Munich will win the title over Xabi Alonso's side.

There are many questions, can Bayer Leverkusen finish top of the league come the end of the season? Can they somehow hold on to their talented team? Can they possibly win the Europa League?

Stay tuned for the rest of the Bundesliga season, which you can watch on ESPN+.