Bayer Leverkusen equaled FC Bayern Munich’s starting record from the 2015/16 season with their 3-1 win against Union Berlin. bundesliga.de compares the fantastic Alonso team of today with Guardiola’s Super Bayern.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2023/24, 31 points, goal difference +24
After the 8th matchday of the 2022/23 season, Xabi Alonso took over as coach at Bayer Leverkusen. At that time, the Werkself were in second-to-last place with just one win. The Spaniard quickly developed the team and led Leverkusen into the top 6 of the table and into the semi-finals of the Europa League.
That’s why there was certainly optimism among the Bayer club in the summer. With Moussa Diaby, an absolute top performer of the past few years was given away, but the transfers of Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Alejandro Grimaldo and Granit Xhaka made the anticipation for the season increase. However, even the biggest Leverkusen fans would not have thought it possible that the start would be so outstanding.
Strong start and passed the endurance test
The start of the season was tough, but the double cup winners and Champions League participants RB Leipzig were defeated 3-2 in a thrilling game. This victory had a signal effect and further convincing successes followed in Mönchengladbach and against Darmstadt before the ultimate tough test at FC Bayern.
Alonso’s team was behind twice in the Allianz Arena, but Bayer showed great morale and, above all, quality and took a deserved 2-2 draw to the Rhineland. That was also the last competitive game that Leverkusen couldn’t win. Overall, the Werkself have an incredible 16 wins in 17 competitive games.
In many of these victories, the opponent was literally overwhelmed, but even in closer games such as in Wolfsburg, against Freiburg or in Hoffenheim, the front runner always kept calm and ultimately prevailed with a one-goal difference. “Whoever wins such games becomes German champion,” is what is often said.
Offensive load spread across many shoulders
Bayer 04 benefits from the fact that responsibility within the team is spread across several shoulders. It is not enough to eliminate a single actor. New signing Boniface is one of the big discoveries of this season so far and combines irrepressible power with enormous speed and fine feet. With seven goals and five assists, he is the Werkself’s top scorer. Behind them, Hofmann (five goals, five assists) and Florian Wirtz (three goals, five assists) are whirling through the league.
The offensive trio is flanked by probably the best and most dangerous full-back pair in the Bundesliga. Grimaldo (six goals, four assists) and Jeremie Frimpong (three goals, five assists) played a major role in Alonso’s team setting a new club record with 34 goals after eleven match days. Only Kane-Bayern can beat that with their historic 42 goals after eleven match days. Both teams are the first in Bundesliga history to score at least two goals on the first eleven matchdays of a season.
Best pass rate in the Bundesliga
But it’s not just the offense that shines for the Werkself this season. In midfield, Granit Xhaka is extremely important with his experience and leads the young players alongside him. The three-man chain, mostly made up of Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou, is also extremely secure and has only conceded ten goals. In short: All parts of the team are playing in top form – which speaks enormously for the work of Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard has refined his ball possession game even more in the summer. Only Bayern average more ball possession phases than the 58 percent that the Rhinelanders have. When it comes to the pass rate, the leader from Leverkusen is even just ahead of the pursuer from Munich (88.8 percent) with 89.2 percent. Alonso also understands perfectly how to combine the beautiful game with efficiency: only Bayern (5.1) needed fewer shots per goal than Bayer 04 (5.4).
The season is still long and a lot can happen in football, but this Leverkusen team looks ready for the big time.
FC Bayern Munich 2015/16, 31 points, goal difference +29
Pep Guardiola started the 2015/16 season as a two-time German champion. Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa were the two top transfers of the summer, which also saw the 19-year-old Kingsley Coman and the still relatively unknown Joshua Kimmich move to the Isar.
Bayern’s season started with a dominant 5-0 win against HSV and continued in this style. In the classic, Borussia Dortmund was swept away 5-1 and VfL Wolfsburg also suffered the same fate. Current rivals Leverkusen were also clearly defeated 3-0.
The Bundesliga is celebrating its 60th birthday
The 5-1 win against Wolfsburg went down in history for another reason: Robert Lewandowski, who was substituted at half-time, scored five goals in just nine minutes – a Bundesliga record that still stands today. It was also the kickstart for Lewandowski’s time at Bayern. The Pole’s goal tally in the record champions’ debut season of 2014/15 was meager by his standards with 17 goals. As a result, he always significantly exceeded this number until his move to Barcelona.
A defense made of granite
After eleven match days, Lewandowski had already scored 13 goals and was being chased by teammate Thomas Müller, who had also scored ten times. Coman, Arjen Robben and even current Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso also contributed goals before a 0-0 draw in Frankfurt put an end to Munich’s winning streak. Guardiola’s team was really strong offensively, but almost invincible on defense. There were four goals conceded after eleven games.
Unlike Leverkusen today, the Munich team had already distanced themselves from the competition: BVB was already five points behind the record champions, who had an impressive start-finish championship and finished ten points ahead of runner-up Dortmund. There were 28 wins and only two defeats. Lewandowski (30 goals) and Müller (20) were responsible for the majority of the 81 goals, but their defensive performance remains unmatched to this day. 17 goals conceded after 34 games is the best in 60 years of the Bundesliga.
In addition to the championship, the DFB Cup was also won – albeit narrowly on penalties against Borussia Dortmund. After the double, Guardiola’s time in the Bundesliga ended, but the Spaniard’s legacy remains. Not least thanks to Guardiola’s student Xabi Alonso, who is shaking up the league with attractive possession football.
2023-11-13 18:57:56
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