after another recital, Bayer Leverkusen wins the first championship title in its history

Winner of Werder Bremen this Sunday (5-0), Bayer Leverkusen secured the first title in its history in the Bundesliga. Still undefeated, the team led by Xabi Alonso had a record season and can still hope for an incredible treble with the Europa League and German Cup in their sights.

Xabi Alonso’s band makes history and ends a series of 11 titles in a row for Bayern Munich. In front of its home crowd, Bayer Leverkusen was crowned German champion for the first time this Sunday, following a victory against Werder Bremen (5-0) five days before the end of the championship.

Founded in 1904, the eternal second, often mocked with a nickname of “Neverkusen” or “Vizekusen”, is still undefeated this season in the space of 43 matches in all competitions. Arriving on the sidelines in October 2022, Xabi Alonso transformed his team. Triple German champion with Bayern Munich as a player, the 42-year-old Spaniard has already announced that he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen next year, he who could have bounced back with the Bavarian club or from Liverpool.

A collective sublimated by Xabi Alonso

Even on days when they played less well, Xabi Alonso’s men managed to avoid defeat, regularly making the difference in stoppage time. “There has always been the desire to control the match, I want to to say that it is the culture of Spanish football”, summarized Polo Breitner, German football specialist for RMC Sport, in recent days. “All the players have increased their level under his command.”

Trained at the club, Florian Wirtz (20 years old) has changed dimensions in recent months and is one of the strong men of this collective. Recruited last summer, Victor Boniface also made his contribution in attack. The Bayer Leverkusen collective shone as a whole, like the contribution of pistons Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, who also posted good offensive statistics.

It will quickly be time to plan for the transfer window, with reinforcements necessary for the Champions League. Defender Jonathan Tah has already confided his desire to leave for the Premier League but Xabi Alonso should be able to keep the base of his collective, arranged in 3-4-2-1. It also remains to be seen whether Bayer Leverkusen could resist tempting offers, particularly for its prodigy Florian Wirtz.

Records and other trophies in the sights

In the Bundesliga, the record for points (91) during the same financial year, achieved by Bayern Munich in 2012-2013, is still within reach in the meantime. Never has a German club finished a season without the slightest defeat. This is another objective for Lukas Hradecky – the goalkeeper and captain – and his teammates in the coming weeks, who already have the longest unbeaten run for a German club.

Bayer Leverkusen can also dream of an incredible treble at the end of the season. Winner of West Ham (2-0) on Thursday, the “Werkself” (the “factory eleven”, nickname of the club founded by the chemist Bayer) is close to qualifying for the semi-finals of the Europa League. On May 25, Xabi Alonso’s team will also play a German Cup final against Kaiserlautern.