Bayer Leverkusen have a rather cruel nickname in Germany, ‘Bayer Vizekusen.’ This literally means ‘second-kusen’ and it can be anglicized as ‘neverkusen.’ In either language the sentiment is the same. Namely that Bayer have consistently fallen just short of silverware and this failure is somehow mentally engrained into everyone at the club. I believe you could denote them as ‘bottlejobs’ if you were so inclined and there is some cultural similarity with the British idea of being ‘spursy.’
The team based in Western Germany have finished second in the Bundesliga five times in its history, three more than any other title-less German team. The club have not enjoyed any greater success in silverware acquisition in cup competitions with the last being won in 1993. Yet the 2023-2024 season is shaping up to potentially change all that. Leverkusen have not lost a single one of their 27 games in all competitions this season and, at the time of writing, they sit seven points clear of Bayern Munich who have a game in hand.
Last time out Leverkusen pulled off an impressive comeback against the much-lamented RB Leipzig with Piero Hincapié scoring a fantastically exciting last-minute winner. The game before against Augsburg was likewise won with a last-ditch effort this time from Exequiel Palacios. In that game Leverkusen had 25 shots and an xG of 2.44.
The incredible consistency of Leverkusen this season, coupled with the team’s newfound determination to win games late on, perhaps marks a break with the ‘neverkusen’ of old. Bayern Munich have dominated 21st century German football by winning eleven straight Bundesliga titles yet this supremacy is growing increasingly under threat as Bayer continue to find ways to win.
And a change of top-dog, albeit if only for a season, would be a good thing for German football. As the rest of Europe’s top five league grow increasingly sportswashy and private equity-ish German football, and Germans fans, have stood resolute against the growing financial tide. The 50 + 1 rule, meaning majority club ownership always rests withs fans, has meant German clubs have retained an authenticity which is disappearing elsewhere.
A point often levelled against the system is Bayern’s incessant domination, this century the Bavarians have won eighteen Bundesliga titles and three Champions Leagues. How can other German teams compete with the global superpower of Bayern domestically and with nation-backed teams in Europe whilst still being majority fan owned? A common, and very fair, answer from many German fans is that having control of their football is more important than silverware.
Yet if Bayer were to topple Bayern it would demonstrate the competitiveness and maybe enlighten fans outside of Germany to the benefits of the model which extend far beyond trophies and superstars. It is worth noting that Leverkusen are exempt from the 50 + 1 model as they are wholly owned by the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company and have operated as an industry team since their inception. Despite not being fan owned they are a community asset in a way many top flight clubs in England no longer are.
The End of ‘Neverkusen’
When assessing how Bayer have become so consistently good one can view the appointment of Xabi Alonso as an obvious starting point. After a difficult start to the 2022/2023 season Gerardo Seoane was given the boot and in stepped Alonso for his first top level managerial role. Before Bayer the Basque had been in charge of Sociedad B and a youth coach at Real Madrid.
Despite his inexperience as a manager in a top league Alonso has catapulted Leverkusen into German frontrunners, to the glee of the Bayer faithful. Their team claimed a Europa League spot despite trailing off at the end of 2022/2023 and since then have not lost a competitive match whilst sitting atop the Bundesliga pile. Alonso is clearly a very talented manager and the rumour mill has already begun linking him with the Real Madrid job when Carlo Ancelotti inevitably steps back.
This success differentiates Alonso from the growing trend attached to his peer group of world-class players who subsequently attempt to become managers. Despite early career promise, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney all seem to have exhausted domestic faith in their managerial abilities. Meanwhile in Spain Xavi is under increasing pressure as Barcelona crashed out of the Copa Del Ray to Athletic Club de Bilbao. Michael Carrick retains admiration but he was never a superstar in the way Alonso and those aforementioned were in their generation.
Alonso has Leverkusen playing a thoughtful, probing and controlled style of possession-based football which is not dissimilar to the way the Spainard operated as a player. Bayer use holding midfielders Granit Xhaka and Palacios to play forward passes into the opposition which causes them to backtrack. The ball is then bounced back out to the midfield two and the opposition attempts to spring back out and regain its aggressive pressing formation. This cycle is repeated across the pitch until gaps appear during the oppositions transition and decisive passes can be played forward.
Once the ball reaches Bayer’s attacking players this controlled tempo shifts gears into a more aggressive and fast-paced mode. As Alonso has stated "Passing quality gives us a lot of control, especially in the first structure, the defenders with the midfielders, but after that, we need a change of tempo. We need to be right there behind the midfielders.”
Crucial to this change in tempo is the attacking vigour brought down the channels by Leverkusen’s fullbacks. Jeremy Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo have an astounding 27 G+A between them in Bayer’s 18 league matches meaning either one has played a direct part in over half the free scoring sides goals. Couple this with the attacking prowess of Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz and Bayer’s 50 league goals make more sense.
Yet Boniface, one of two revelatory Bundesliga strikers this season, will likely be sidelined till April after picking up a muscle injury with Nigeria at AFCON. Into the breach has stepped the incredibly talented, but injury prone, Patrik Schick who has led the line well.
So, will Bayer be able to stay ahead of Bayern? If the intangible ‘winning mentality’ which was so clearly absent from the Bayer of old has truly been installed by Alonso into his squad then I think the answer is yes. Bayern, in the last few seasons, have been able to make mistakes and lose games they should really win because opposition has not been consistent enough. Bayer have changed this and losses for Bayern, like the 1-0 defeat to Werder Bremmen, are no longer going unpunished.
Whatsmore it does not appear as if Leverkusen will lose any crucial players this January and it cannot be said that Bayern’s recruitment this window has been inspiring. Yet Bayern will consistently win points to the end and Leverkusen cannot afford a downturn in form. With Boniface out goals will need to be sourced from elsewhere and a further injury to Schick could be very costly.
February 10th should be marked in all European football fan’s diary as Bayer v Bayern day. In the meantime Leverkusen have two league games against bottom half opposition which, if they can win them, would make the 10th an incredibly exciting Saturday afternoon.