Bayer 04 Leverkusen under coach Xabi Alonso is one of the most fascinating teams the Bundesliga has seen since the turn of the millennium. The dominance that the Werkself sometimes exuded last season was, in this form, comparable at best to FC Bayern under Pep Guardiola.
It goes without saying that the club wants to celebrate its three trophies from last summer in style. In doing so, it is demonstrating something that regularly infuriates the fans of the other 17 Bundesliga teams: a frightening sense of timing.
The destination of the celebrations is New York. The home of the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Giants and Jets will have an iconic team for three days. The term team is a bit far-fetched though. In the middle of the season, it is not that easy to fly across the Atlantic for eight hours with Wirtz, Grimaldo or Alonso. The delegation therefore consists of managing director Fernando Carro and honorary captain Jens Nowotny.
But even without the really big stars, nothing can go wrong at a cup celebration in the world metropolis. Unless, of course, you forget to take a closer look at the calendar in all the anticipation when planning. The big start day is September 11th. There it is again, that frustrating feeling of the right time, whether on or off the pitch.
The trip will end three days later with a “watch party” in Brooklyn to introduce the new football fans to the Bundesliga. Full stadiums, emotional fans, good football – the league certainly has its unique selling points. But it fits surprisingly well into the picture of the whole trip that the game shown is Leverkusen’s away appearance at TSG Hoffenheim. There, Alonso’s team can once again prove that sensitivity and timing are part of the repertoire of the reigning German champions, at least on the pitch.
