Why Leverkusen can top Bayern Munich and win the Champions League: ‘We’re one of the best teams in the world’

Through rights, these coming luminaires must represent the end of the Champions League Road for Bayer Leverkusen. The hometown of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are hardly any Bundesliga paupers, but under the European elite they now rub shoulders, they are in the group of comparative paupers.

You have to go back more than 20 years for the last time that a Champions League finalist came from outside the current top 15 of the Deloitte Football Money League. In retrospect, the early years of the 21st century reflect another Europe, a true middle weights such as Valencia, Monaco, Porto and even Leverkusen at the right time, so that the inefficiencies of a ruling class were used that had not yet heard from the rest of the sport.

That is no longer the case, and although it may be conceivable that a team with the fourth highest wage account could win the Bundesliga in a year in which everything seems to be breaking their way, it should be impossible that a team that is unable to follow the Deloitte Football Money League – their disabled liability company is to follow a limited liability business Picked the $ 1 Billion market. When one of these is your round of 16 opponent, the leading force in your domestic competition, the opportunities will certainly be stacked against you.

“Our income is a third of Bayern Munich,” said Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro on the Financial Times Business of Football Summit last week, perhaps the wave between his side and the Bundesliga leaders, perhaps Whose most recent turnover was just over $ 825 million. “You have to try to be better, smarter and faster.

“What I did when I started in 2018 was a long -term strategy. We were 28th in the UEFA Club -coefficients, we said we wanted to be top four [in Germany] Just a year, top 16 in Europe … We have done many things that in fact tried to increase the chance of sporting success. We have a small city of 150,000 inhabitants, we are not Manchester United who can have a big brand without sporting success. We are a club that needs to continue to grow. We try to make good decisions, but we know that even the best coaches [oscillate]. “

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Until now, however, there is no real sign of oscillation of the liverkusen of Xabi Alonso. It looks like a long shot, but the title holders, who came within one match of an unbeaten season in all competitions in 2023-24, are the last team to match Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Their manager, appointed two and a half years ago, has still not lost DFB Pokal -similar game. A top eight berth in the Champions League was protected with little to no hassle.

The road to the final of the Champions League can be just as challenging for them as any of those in the competition, but try to tell their players that this will be the fourteen days where the economic reality of European football begins to tell.

According to Forward Nathan Tella: “We are one of the best teams in the world. You have not done a season as we did last season and it is a coincidence. You continue to build on it and the Champions League goes into, I think many teams had a lot of respect for us. We have earned it.”

No one will enjoy a meeting with Leverkusen, the least of all their round of 16 opponents Bayern Munich, who still has to beat Alonso in six meetings. Oddmakers can place Work As ninth favorites to win the competition, Opta Sevth, but that might speak more about their likely road to the final than the quality of Alonso. Beat Bayern and it would probably be Inter In The Quarters, a team that they have overcome in the competition phase in the competition phase. Barcelona seems to have a clear route to a semi -final; The methodical approach of Alonso is well linked to parties that play with the verticality that Hansi Flick has brought from the Bundesliga to Barca.

Vanquish all Those teams would need a dose of fortune that Neverkusen never changed in 2023-24. Still, even if they stopped the best team on their side of the bracket, Leverkusen would not be less than 50:50 in any game. This is a side that has settled fairly quickly as a competition, without a large injection of finance that goes beyond a few sales to the Premier League.

How Leverkusen built a Juggernaut

Who exactly the architect of the Excellency of Leverkusen depends on who you ask. A Data analyst can tell you that having the best young playmaker in the world – Florian Wirtz – has opened new possibilities for a party that might otherwise fight for a top four berth. Credit certainly belongs to Scouting Department that has identified such a value in the will of Alejandro Grimaldo, Victor Boniface and Tella, to name just a few. Carro argues that director of Voetbal Simon Rolfes is the best recruitment he has made, so that the club is opened for the possibilities that followed.

Spend a few minutes in the Tella’s company and you will have a fairly sharp feeling of where he places the most credit. Speaking for Saturday’s extensive victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, in which he would score the opener, the former Burnley, Southampton and Arsenal -Man glowed in his praise for Alonso.

“We play Frankfurt on the weekend and our only focus will be on Frankfurt until the last whistle goes,” he said, and emphasized a capacity to keep his team at the moment that special must be stretched at the back of last season.

“That is the brilliance of the coach. He does not think we are thinking too far ahead, he tells us to stay in the present, concentrate on the next game you can play. You do not think that two or three games are for you, you think of the person you can play and impact. That has given the team much clarity, much understanding.”

How Leverkusen Bayern has dominated

If a team is aware of the Excellency of Alonso, it’s Bayern. They have tried to beat the Leverkusen gates six times, on every occasion they have failed. The side of Vincent Kompany was lucky to escape with a draw from the last time they met, overrogged 15 to two and happy that neither Tella nor Wirtz had their shooting boots that night. The victory last February is perhaps the determining result of Alonso’s term of office. It was not only the moment that Leverkusen was waiting for the air of champions, it was a master class of their coach, who turned to a rear four while Bayern turned to a rear three to match their opponents.

“As a team we understand how good Bayern is,” says Tella, “their qualities and strength, but the coach has taught us a conviction that we can beat everyone.

“We have a lot of confidence. That comes from the coach. He has a clear game plan. Some games require different things, but we never go on the field and we are confused. During the entire week he gives us a clear indication of what we have to do and we spend the week working.

“By the time the game comes, we are all ready, we all look forward to the chance to play against such a large team. If we play a large team, we will not worry about them, we only concentrate on ourselves.”

What makes the record of Leverkusen against Bayern Munich all the impressive is the identity of their match winners. Wirtz and Victor Boniface still have to score Alonso or help in their meetings with the Bavers. In the meantime, Tella has one of each and played an important role in both games mentioned above, which led the line to the surprise of many the last time.

Not necessarily the first name on the team magazine-14 players have more starting minutes since the 2023-24 started-tella is still familiar with some of the most challenging assignments, his versatility appreciated by his manager.

“Maybe on the outside that looks at it, but the coach knows and has reasons why I play in this position. He trusts me to go out and do a job. Maybe there is still a game that I play on the left or further. Everyone has faith in the coach, he has an idea, he knows what people are and plays it.

“We know we have a big team. We know he can only play 11 players, he can only make five substitutions. The coach has told us all, we have a lot of games, we are in every competition.” Some players may not play much, but I need everyone. You have De Standaard. If you fall in training the level for those who start. ”

“Everyone, if they have not played or start, tries to increase the level. It has made us a better team.”

Good enough to win the Champions League? They check a few courses of Potential Champions: Wirtz The Game-Breaking Forward, enough depth to survive anything but an injury crisis at Tottenham level, a defense that largely looked sparingly sparingly. The latter factor is important and the 1.02 non-penalty expected goals permitted per game speaks to a team that is clearly very good, but perhaps not at the same level as Liverpool or Arsenal. Similarly, nobody will confuse their attack for Real Madrid, but it has received its goals.

They may not be eligible as the best of the best because of their statistics, but many of the teams that Wel-Livole, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Real Madrid have to do it on the other side of the bracket. And after last year this is not a team that wants for faith.

“We have a very, very, very talented team of very talented individuals, a whole, whole, terribly Good coach, “said Tella.” All hands together give us the best chance in every game. We will always have faith. “