Not even half a dozen players from Bayer Leverkusen managed to walk in front of the away block after this beating. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, who was basically a lone fighter against the humiliation at his former club Eintracht Frankfurt (1: 5), spread his arms, but even the Finnish national keeper was rejected on this rainy afternoon in the Frankfurt city forest.
The horror of the Werkself was palpable after the crash on the relegation place, because after the Campions League lesson against FC Porto (0: 3), coach Xabi Alonso, who was received with so much advance praise, suffered the second major setback in four days digest. The Spaniard, 40, had no choice but to admit the dismantling without hesitation. “We ran into problems from the start, we didn’t have the necessary intensity, we didn’t help each other. There’s no excuse for that,” said Alonso, whose aura alone shouldn’t be enough to drive out the lethargy in Leverkusen.
His squad, apparently blessed with so much individual quality, staggered disoriented across the pitch, so that midfielder Kerem Demirbay chose drastic words afterwards: “We’re in deep shit. Professionals with quality have to deliver every day, we can’t do that in competition. ” In addition, Demirbay addressed an indirect wake-up call to Patrik Schick, who was once again indisposed: “We defend badly, but that starts at the very beginning: If I’m a striker with great technique, I have to work hard first.”
Clear words from the players: “The problems don’t go away with the coach”
Some of the protagonists actually seemed to have decided not to soil their jerseys too much. Unless they slipped again on the slippery lawn. All in all, Leverkusen’s performance was hardly suitable for the Bundesliga. In retrospect, Demirbay judged the opening win under Alonso against newly promoted FC Schalke 04 (4-0) to be deceptive: “Schalke is not our benchmark.” Another leading player, Robert Andrich, followed suit: “Football doesn’t work that way. We mustn’t think that things are going well and we’ll get the points at some point. The problems don’t go away with the coach.” A pertinent indication that the squad, which was largely put together by sporting director Simon Rolfes, does not have mastered certain core elements that would be necessary in the relegation battle.
“We have to improve. We have an intense week ahead of us and we have to keep working,” announced Alonso, who at least inherited a decent preparation for the next home game against VfL Wolfsburg after his predecessor Gerardo Seoane lost the cup early on. By next weekend, it should have been determined how the “connection” between head and body, which completely failed in Frankfurt, is to be achieved, said Alonso. “Everything is connected,” explained the coach. “We are responsible, I am primarily. We have to attack better, we can defend better.”
Stupid in defence, harmless in attack – Leverkusen’s list of shortcomings is long
Are such empty phrases sufficient in times of crisis? Or does it not need clear announcements? It could be that the rather inexperienced football coach Alonso has to make some uncomfortable personnel decisions, because the outrageous defensive mistakes and the harmlessness in attack personified by Schick are a long list of shortcomings throughout the unsuccessful season. Against an unleashed, storming Eintracht, Alonso’s ensemble searched in vain for access from start to finish.
Fast-paced attacker with a fine foot: Jesper Lindström (second from right) hit the ball to make it 3-1 for Frankfurt.
(Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
Coach Oliver Glasner summarized the Frankfurt recipe for success as follows: “We attacked the interfaces with speed and depth.” Because Leverkusen could hardly resist, Eintracht had numerous chances and a “well-deserved victory” (Glasner). The power of center forward Randal Kolo Muani and the pace of Jesper Lindstrom completely overwhelmed Bayer.
The VAR intervenes because of new rules: Penalty parade brings Bayer nothing
Goalkeeper Hradecky prevented worse things from happening for a long time, then had bad luck that his penalty save against Kolo Muani was called back: Referee Frank Willenborg, together with video assistant Robert Schröder, strictly followed the new set of rules, according to which the goalkeeper is not allowed to jump an inch before the line – this is how Daichi converted Kamada repeated the 1-0 halftime score (45+4).
Ultimately, however, the controversial scene should remain a side note, because the Werkself did not see the flattering equalizer from Piero Hincapie (56th) as an encouragement, but then completely collapsed. Kolo Muani resolutely headed (58′), Lindström skilfully lobbed (65′), Kamada again accurately with a penalty (72′) and finally former Leverkusen player Lucas Alario after an unselfish pass from the recently frustrated reservist Rafael Borré (86′). for the high feelings of the Eintracht fans, who mocked the loser in the end as “relegated”. At least that’s how the Champions League participant Bayer Leverkusen actually played with a world and European champion on the coaching bench.