Twelve seasons, Bayern Munich dominated the German Bundesliga. Inevitably, the expression Bundesliga, like Munich’s league, echoed into the public sphere.
Munich’s dominance cannot be separated from the neat strategy and work system of the club organization. One of Munich’s familiar work systems is to annex players and coaches from competing teams in the Bundesliga.
When there is a player who is on the rise at the Bundesliga level, Munich does not hesitate to buy that player. As a result, Munich strengthened and competing clubs continued to be under Munich’s shadow.
Apparently, that technique doesn’t apply this season. Bayer Leverkusen managed to end Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga by becoming champions after week 29.
The certainty that Leverkusen would be champions came after the team nicknamed Werkself (factory squad) won big 5-0 over guests Werder Bremen. In fact, there are still five matches left in the Bundesliga this season.
Suddenly, when the final whistle of the match blew, the Leverkusen fans who were packed and chanting non-stop at the BayArena stadium immediately ran onto the pitch and embraced the players and coaches.
For the first time in the 120 year history of the club in the northern part of Rhine-Westphalia, they became champions of the German Bundesliga.
Leverkusen has become the talk of football fans this season. The sensation is not only based on Leverkusen’s successful coup d’etat of the Bundesliga throne from Munich, but also the impressive record that has been recorded this season.
Leverkusen is still the only unbeaten club in mainland Europe. 43 matches unbeaten has made Leverkusen enter the ranks of elite clubs in Europe.
Apart from Leverkusen’s slick and consistent performance in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen is also currently in the DFB Pokal cup final. In the final, Leverkusen will meet a team from the second division, Kaiserslautern. On paper, Leverkusen actually has one foot on the stage of winning the DFB Pokal Cup.
In European competition, Leverkusen is currently writing its history. Leverkusen played in the quarter-finals of the European Cup.
Last week, the team coached by young coach (42 years) Xabi Alonso won 2-0 over West Ham in the first leg. Leverkusen’s name also seems to be on the list of favorites to lift the “second class” trophy on the European continent.
The series of achievements and opportunities for success that Leverkusen has made this season has made many eyes turn to the team that was ranked 6th last season. The dressing room and performance on the gridiron are reviewed and highlighted. In fact, coaches and players are already on the target list of big clubs.
Yes, Xabi Alonso was on the radar of big clubs such as Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. These three clubs are strongly attached to the Spanish coach because he was part of the three clubs when he was still active as a player.
However, Alonso stated his commitment to staying with Leverkusen next season. Alonso’s choice, on the one hand, is very appropriate because in general Leverkusen’s work machine is not yet too hot.
Choosing to stay is an opportunity for Alonso to see and measure how far he can manage and maintain team dynamics and a winning mentality. At the same time, Alonso can also measure his personal qualities as a coach.
On the other hand, saying “No” from Alonso to proposals from big clubs is like wasting an opportunity that is right in front of his eyes. The opportunity to fly higher with big clubs seemed wasted.
Alonso apparently isn’t dazzled by the shine of big teams. Staying with Leverkusen is the choice where Alonso wants to write his name as one of Leverkusen’s most successful coaches and legends. Obviously, Alonso’s name has also been immortalized as one of the street names in the city of Leverkusen.
Alonso has changed Leverkusen in the last two years. The coach, who was born on November 25 1981, accepted Leverkusen’s proposal on October 5 2022 when Leverkusen was in the relegation zone.
Without experience coaching a senior team, Alonso, who was recruited from Real Sociedad B, immediately showed his quality. Leverkusen ended the season in 6th place in the Bundesliga standings.
The peak is this season. The coach who is fond of the 3-4-2-1 tactic creates balance in Leverkusen’s game. In this formation, Xabi emphasizes ball control when carrying out direct attacks.
Meanwhile, when Leverkusen did not control the ball, the two wing midfielders were shifted back to support the formation of three defenders. So, when the opponent came to control the ball, Leverkusen’s back line seemed to be accompanied by five defenders.
This formation was able to bring out the best in players such as J. Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo. These two players can operate in the middle, but then become wing-backs. From the defensive side, Frimpong and Grimaldo had a solid effect on back line.
On the attacking side, these two players are able to become Alonso’s secret weapons in terms of scoring goals and assists. These two wing-backs have recorded more than 20 goals and assists for Leverkusen this season.
Not only that, Alonso was also able to combine the senior midfielder duo, Grani Xhaka and the young German midfielder F. Wirtz. Xhaka, who was brought in for free from Arsenal, is able to provide a leadership effect in the midfield and become one of the engines of Xabi Alonso’s playing pattern.
The Leverkusen sensation was created because Xavi Alonso was able to create the right tactics and find players who suited his tactics. With this, you don’t need a lot of money to be successful because several players who shined at Leverkusen this season were obtained for free. With the right tactics combined with a strong team spirit, positive results can be achieved.
The Bundesliga trophy is the first trophy to enter the Leverkusen cabinet this season. The opportunity to win the treble this season is actually open for Leverkusen as long as they maintain the same consistency and don’t get too carried away by false euphoria.
Munich’s dominance for 12 seasons in the Bundesliga, on the one hand, shows the quality and achievements of the club. On the other hand, domination seems to create a feeling of boredom and boredom. It seems like there are no new colors that will make many eyes enjoy the German Bundesliga.
However, when that dominance ended, the colors of the Bundesliga also received attention. It turns out, nothing is permanent for a team’s performance.
Leverkusen’s consistency in reaching the championship ladder cannot be separated from Munich’s instability. The dismissal of young coach Julian Nagelsmann towards the middle of last season was quite surprising and was the beginning of Munich’s instability.
Munich’s choice of Thomas Tuechel was not wrong because the former Chelsea coach had a strong track record in the German Bundesliga when he coached Borussio Dortmund. However, Tuechel’s challenge in Munich is very different.
Starting from the dressing room situation where not everyone agrees with Nagelsmann’s dismissal to the club’s steps which are starting to move away from previous policies.
Nagelsmann still has sympathy from the senior players in Munich. Therefore, his dismissal last season also affected the team’s mentality. Obviously, Munich, which was consistent during Nagelsman’s time, is slowly appearing sluggish.
Not to mention, Munich is not reluctant to buy players in Europe’s top leagues. The last edition was Munich’s agility in buying Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. Usually, Munich is more likely to look for players from the Bundesliga. However, this step began to be abandoned, preferring to look for players from outside the league.
These efforts of course have an impact on the club itself. Munich must adapt to the character of players who come from clubs that do not match the character of the team’s game. The gegenpressing style that is synonymous with Bundesliga clubs such as Munich has also adapted to a certain style of play.
Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga ends this season. In fact, the signs started to appear last season.
Luckily, in the last match in the Bundesliga last season, Dortmund achieved a draw in the final match, and at the same time Munich won. As a result, Munich emerged as champions with the same number of points. However, Munich is superior head to head against Dortmund and the number of goals.
The signs last season were not taken seriously. Munich is even determined to buy Harry Kane to strengthen its front line. Kane is able to become the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but his presence does not necessarily provide balance to the team’s game.
Munich was not built by just one player. Like the German national team’s playing style, Munich, which has become a symbol of German football, is built on team play based on a clear and definite organizational work system.
That system disappeared this season. As a result, the throne at the top was couped by Leverkusen, which was driven by a young coach and former Munich player for three seasons.
ASL
