Leverkusen Edges Closer to The Bundesliga as Bayern’s 11-year Winning Streak Could Come to an End

Bundesliga so far has been a feast to cherish, one of the greatest powerhouses of football from Bavaria, Bayern Munich could be trophy-less by the end of the season. Bayern’s title defense went to burrows under the might of Xabi Alonso and the team’s consistent and invincible brilliance. Leverkusen are the only undefeated team remaining in Europe this season, with a 35 games unbeaten run they hope to finish as full of silverware as possible. Let’s look at some significant events that staged them where they are today.

What went wrong for Bayern Munich:

The rush to appoint Thomas Tuchel at the helm, sacking Julian Nagelsmann just before facing Manchester City could be a significant anecdote in the past 18 months. Bayern under Thomas Tuchel went through big changes. Signing England Captain ‘Harry Kane’, and Napoli star defender Kim-Min Jae was a good start to a hopeful season of bringing another treble under Tuchel. But, things went haywire went the manager came out publicly with the Joshua Kimmich incident in the press. Pointing out to one of the biggest characters at Bayern and complaining blatantly regarding his inefficiency at the number six role proved to be the first nail in Tuchel's decision to leave next summer. Kimmch, who has been a leader on and off the pitch for Bayern and often ranked among the best number six in the world has never taken those comments lightly, which created a rift in the dressing room. And, that rift has been very much visible on the pitch against Lazio, Leverkusen, and Bochum resulting in Bayern being 10 points behind Bayer.

What went right for Bayer Leverkusen:

Efficient recruitment in managerial roles along with bringing Xabi Alonso at the correct time was a massive boost for the young guns brewing at Leverkusen academy. Xabi was later joined by Xhaka from Arsenal who contributed a perfect blend to this young pool of exciting talents.

Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface, Jeremy Frimpong, Alex Grimaldo, Odilon Kossounou, and many others are brimming with talent and hunger for excellence. Xabi Alonso’s playing style also persuades opponents to press them and their confidence to play through the press provides an added advantage to it all.

Fast transitions on the wing, calm composed play at the front, press-resistant backline, and a strikeforce firing on all cylinders. Leverkusen at the moment is a perfect blend of positional possession play. Xabi has managed to bring out the best in his team creating an atmosphere of being better than anyone else in the league.