Bundesliga
Bayer remains modest – threat to the competition
Bayer Leverkusen also showed a strong performance on the second matchday. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
Bayer Leverkusen seems to have landed some transfer hits. On Sunday, the Werksclub went even further. Despite the Diaby departure, there is an exquisite squad that delivers early.
The timing may have been coincidental, but the announcement of what is probably the most expensive summer purchase was Bayer Leverkusen another sign to the competition. Around 13 hours after the impressive early form demonstration in the 3-0 (2-0) win at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer made another supposed top striker perfect as an access. For a good 20 million euros, Nathan Tella from Southampton joins Xabi Alonso’s already lavishly souped-up ensemble.
As if the departure of turbo attacker Moussa Diaby (for around 55 million euros to Aston Villa) had not already been (over)compensated by previous acquisitions. Victor Boniface, who was also brought from Belgium for around 20 million euros, has already shown all his skills in previous competitive games and excelled with his first Bundesliga brace (18th minute/53rd) during the Leverkusen walk in Borussia Park on Saturday.
The committed Bayer coach Alonso then properly threatened the competition: “Hopefully he’ll get even better and continue to score a lot of goals for Leverkusen. He’s hungry.” The Werkself’s already extremely strong offensive – which also includes Patrik Schick, who is currently injured – is now being completed by winger Tella.
The competition is impressed
The experts are delighted, the competition groans. “Everyone saw how strong Leverkusen are,” said Gladbach captain and goalkeeper Jonas Omlin. Even without taking part in the Champions League, Alonso now has an exquisite squad that has been given additional components by ex-Gladbachers Granit Xhaka and Jonas Hofmann as well as Alejandro Grimaldo from Benfica Lisbon.
“Of course, a performance like this here at Borussia-Park is great,” said strategist Xhaka, who had switched from Arsenal FC, to the impressive performance of his new team. And Hofmann, who did the preparatory work for Jonathan Tahs 2-0 (45+6), could easily get over the whistles of the Gladbach crowd because of his surprising departure to Leverkusen in the summer. In the certainty that he had done everything right with his move to the ambitious Werksclub with an exit clause for ten million euros, Hofmann easily and calmly made a few tips in the direction of Gladbach’s sports director Roland Virkus – without naming his name. As a “kindergarten” he felt one or the other statement after his departure to Leverkusen, which was painful from Gladbach’s point of view, scolded Hofmann.
He now plays in a team that some pundits already consider strong enough to face Bayern Munich this season. Already on the fourth day of the game, after the international break in mid-September, there will be a top game in Munich, which Alonso says he has not yet given a second thought to. “I only think of Darmstadt,” said the former Bayern professional to the next opponent.
Leverkusen remains modest
In general, after the strong performances against Leipzig (3: 2) and in Gladbach, Leverkusen have been surprisingly cautious. “We’re good. But I don’t want to talk about whether that’s enough for the top. I don’t want to put too much pressure on the team,” said Xhaka and Hofmann urged him to remain “humble”. Possibly this new defensive approach could be another factor in Bayer’s favour.
In the past, the Leverkusen team liked to talk about their own ambitions and possible titles, even though the last title was 30 years ago. Bayer usually ran out of breath at some point, “Vizekusen” has long been part of football jargon. The current form, the squad and the coach fuel the hope of the Bayer fans that this season will finally be different.