Bundesliga
Leverkusen’s masterful balancing act
The Bayer Leverkusen team also won in Leipzig. photo
© Jan Woitas/dpa
Bayer Leverkusen suffers a number of setbacks in Leipzig and is facing its first defeat. But the league leaders are unimpressed.
But Alonso caught himself fairly elegantly and, like his team, didn’t end up on the back foot. The 3-2 win at RB Leipzig was not only the continuation of the miraculous unbeaten series, but was truly masterful in various facets.
Jonas Hofmann described the success in a game in which “many had given us our first defeat” as an “exclamation point”. But in the end, game number 18 in the Bundesliga was over and there was still zero in the table column N for defeat. “It’s more than just a flow, they’re doing it very, very well,” said Leipzig’s sports director Rouven Schröder. The autumn champions had already scored the winning goal in stoppage time in Augsburg the week before.
Frimpong injured
Bayer dealt with personnel setbacks impressively. Defender Jonathan Tah experienced an uncomfortable opening quarter of an hour in which the defender received his fifth yellow card. The national player shook himself and later scored the 2-2. After just half an hour, one of the key offensive players, Jeremie Frimpong (five goals, seven assists), had to go down injured. His replacement Nathan Tella scored to make it 1-1.
Even being behind twice didn’t unsettle Leverkusen. The 1:2, a breathtaking counterattack after a terrible corner from Hofmann, would have been a mental break for many teams. “I just think that we don’t let ourselves be impressed by being behind,” said Hofmann, taking the blame for the goal. Bayer just kept playing, building up such incredible pressure that Piero Hincapié’s winning goal well after the 90th minute had to be described as deserved.
Coach Alonso’s own self-image and attention to detail lead to a type of football that can otherwise only be seen at Manchester City. “Leverkusen plays through the attacks until they have a chance after a chance,” said Leipzig coach Marco Rose. “In the end, they always try to create a superiority near the ball in the center in order to control the midfield. No matter what you do, it’s bad. You need the right moment.”
Leipzig strong at the start
Bayer only allowed these moments in the first half, when Leipzig played probably the best 30 minutes of their season. The dream goal from Xavi Simons’ turn after just eight minutes put Lothar Matthäus in the Lionel Messi category, but it was simply not enough. “We have to add the second goal in the first half hour. It would have been fundamentally important because Leverkusen have such self-confidence that they have to score a second one,” said Schröder.
In the end, Leipzig let the league leaders back into the game because the cup winners lost what had almost given Alonso wet pants shortly before the end. “We had a better balance in the first half. Either switch or stay in possession of the ball,” said Rose. In addition, there was a lack of unconditional will – especially in standard situations.