Bayer Leverkusen achieved a rare domestic double last season, winning both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. And because they’re the defending champions, they enter the 2024-25 season with a huge target on their backs.
According to the Bundesliga 2024 odds, Xabi Alonso and co. are in great shape to defend their title, despite having mixed results in pre-season.
Die Werkself won 2-1 against Essen to start their summer tour, but they were held to a 2-2 draw by Lens and were blown out 4-1 by Arsenal on Wednesday. Bayer Leverkusen will have one more Club Friendly against Real Betis before taking on VfB Stuttgart in the DFL-Supercup this weekend.
Overall, there’s so much to look forward to if you’re a die-hard Bayer Leverkusen supporter, and SBOTOP is here to explain why.
How they removed the “Neverkusen” tag
Simply put, Bayer Leverkusen bagged their first-ever Bundesliga championship by not losing a single league match in 2023-24. They were so good that the only loss they’ve had was in the Europa League final against Atalanta, or else they would’ve completed an unprecedented treble.
Bayer Leverkusen started their campaign with an 8-0 rout of Teutonia Ottensen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, which was followed by three consecutive high-scoring wins over RB Leipzig (3-2), Borussia Monchengladbach (3-0), and Darmstadt (5-1).
And then, when they caused Bayern Munich to drop points with a 2-2 draw in September and a 3-0 win in the reverse fixture, that was a sign of things to come for Die Werkself.
Despite this, Bayer Leverkusen have had some close calls, as they almost had a poor stretch of Bundesliga 2024 results if it weren’t for some late heroics from their stars.
But just when you thought that Die Werkself were down and out, they would find a way to claw back and score late goals to snatch wins. Bayer Leverkusen scored a whopping 11 goals in added time, a testament to their never-say-die spirit.
Xabi Alonso has to be commended for instilling a winning mentality at the BayArena, although they need to tighten up down the stretch as rivals will be coming for their heads this upcoming season.
Bayer Leverkusen maintain their core and more
Because they won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, Xabi Alonso suddenly became the hottest commodity in the managerial market. And at one point, he was tipped to be a potential successor to either Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool or Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
But in the end, Alonso denied the rumours, signifying his utmost commitment to the club. He decided to stay in the BayArena after the front office committed to fulfill his wish of not selling their key players, which was their standard practice in the past.
Bayer Leverkusen have a strong core of Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface, Alejando Grimaldo, Jeremie Frimpong, Robert Andrich, Jonathan Tah, and Granit Xhaka, among others.
Florian Wirtz won the Bundesliga Player of the Season award after recording 11 goals and 11 assists. The 21-year-old midfielder won Bundesliga Player of the Month on three occasions (October, December, and February) en route to winning the individual trophy.
Victor Boniface, their top scorer with 19 goals and nine assists in all competitions, won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year. Alejandro Grimaldo was also named Bundesliga Player of the Month in April, and he finished the 2023-24 campaign on top of the assists charts with 13.
Jeremie Frimpong, Patrik Schick, and Jonas Hofmann also made major contributions in the final third, having combined for 31 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
Robert Andrich, Exequiel Palacios, and Granit Xhaka have been solid in midfield, while Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba are the pillars at the backline.
That doesn’t stop there for Die Werkself, as they have recently completed the signings of Martin Terrier, Aleix Garcia, and Jeanuel Belocian, who could undoubtedly help them in their title defence.
Who can challenge Die Werkself?
The teams that could realistically challenge Bayer Leverkusen for the Bundesliga title are Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, since they have been proactive in the summer transfer window.
Bayern Munich have secured a huge part of their future by locking down youngsters Aleksandar Pavlovic, Josip Stanisic, and Arijon Ibrahimovic to long-term contracts while bringing in Joao Palhinha, Michael Olise, Eric Dier, and Hiroki Ito.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, have Serhou Guirassy, Waldemar Anton, Pascal Groß, and Yan Couto as their key acquisitions. Bayer Leverkusen can still win the Bundesliga this year, but don’t expect them to go virtually undefeated just like last season.
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