Bayer Leverkusen declines: Is 'Wizard' Xabi Alonso out of magic?
With inconsistent performance since the beginning of the season in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen is being left far behind by Bayern Munich in the championship race.
Entering the 2024/2025 season, the team nicknamed Die Werkself still retains its strongest force. In addition, Bayer Leverkusen also has the service of new recruits, typically defender Jeanuel Belocian, midfielder Aleix Garcia or striker Martin Terrier. In theory, Bayer Leverkusen is stronger than they were last season.
Unfortunately, things are not going in a favorable direction for the reigning Bundesliga champions. It can be seen that the form of Florian Wirtz and his teammates is very unstable, with a series of disappointing matches. It seems that coach Xabi Alonso's team is "losing the brakes" after a season of great sublimation (winning the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record).
In the latest match against Bochum, coach Xabi Alonso and his team were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw. Despite facing an opponent who was struggling at the bottom of the table, Bayer Leverkusen still could not take all 3 points. The home team at BayArena even took the lead thanks to a goal by striker Patrik Schick in the 18th minute.
This is not the first time this season that Bayer Leverkusen has fallen into the situation of "holding the gold and letting it fall". Before Bochum successfully reversed the score, the defending champions also dropped points to RB Leipzig (2-3), Bayern Munich (1-1), Holstein Kiel (2-2) and Werder Bremen (2-2). Obviously, coach Xabi Alonso's team lacked the necessary concentration.
The consequence of that negligence is thatBayer Leverkusenhave fallen far behind in the championship race. After 10 rounds, the gap between them and the leading team Bayern Munich has increased to 9 points (17 compared to 26). If they do not quickly return to the winning track, Florian Wirtz and his teammates will soon have to become the former kings of the most prestigious tournament in German football.
Hopefully, this "FIFA Day November" break will help coach Xabi Alonso thoroughly solve the remaining shortcomings in the Bayer Leverkusen machine. Let's wait and see, will theSpanish strategistCan he find his "magic wand" again to help the BayArena team escape the performance crisis?
