The Rise of Bayer Leverkusen – From Underdogs to Champions
Written By: Ka Lap Ng & Alex Jiang
Bayer Leverkusen is a German football club that was founded on July 1st, 1904 in Leverkusen, Germany. Throughout the years, they have shown decent performances during their time in the Bundesliga. However, with teams like Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Bayern Munich always outshining them, this was never enough to finish first. The fans were desperate for silverware, and so were the players. Little did they know, things were going to turn around in October 2022.
Starting off the 2022-2023 season, Leverkusen’s fans expected big changes. However, their dreams were slowly starting to fade due to the team’s poor performance early into the season. A few weeks into the season they were sitting in 16th place with just 9 points on the brink of relegation. The gap between Leverkusen and first-place Bayern Munich was 17 points, and things weren’t looking good for Leverkusen. However, Fernando Carro, president of the club decided to make a big change during October which would heavily change Leverkusen’s position in the league.
October 5th, 2022. President Fernando Carro has announced the appointment of Xabi Alonso as Bayer Leverkusen’s new head coach. Xabi Alonso is a retired football player who has played for some of Europe’s greatest teams and has lots of experience in football. Things would quickly turn around after Xabi Alonso proved that he could do what the previous coaches couldn’t. His new tactics started with not letting any gaps in the middle, holding a compact and solid formation, whilst strengthening the defense and scoring goals on the counterattack. Xabi Alonso’s strong start in the season at Bayer Leverkusen has proved himself worthy of his position, and he had statistics to show for it too.
Xabi Alonso also noticed that the main weakness of Bayer Leverkusen was their lack of organization when it came to their formation. Players were always scattered everywhere and lacked formation, which always tired them out. He quickly eliminated this by changing their formation to a 3-4-3 formation, with the left and right midfielders dropping back to form a back 5, which benefited offense and defense simultaneously. Apart from adressing these weaknesses, Alonso took advantage of the Leverkusen players’ pace. Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby were the key players used during counterattacks, reaching speeds up to 36 km/h, as their quick bursts of speed helped give Leverkusen a head start.
Things would only go uphill once German’s Wonderkid Florian Wirtz came out of injury. Wirtz became a key asset in Alonso’s squad, as he offered Bayer Leverkusen more flexibility in attack. Wirtz’s sharp vision and creativity lead to assists for the players with quick pace, forming a deadly combination with him being the fulcrum of the team. Without Wirtz, the team averages 9.6 shots a game, whilst with Wirtz on the pitch, they average 13.6 shots per game (Bundesliga), demonstrating the significance the German Wonderkid has to this team. Wirtz’s quick decision-making and visionary passes resurrected the team’s creative flow and attacking play style.
Following these major improvements, Bayer Leverkusen miraculously rose to the top of the table, following a vengeful 3-0 win over long-term champions Bayern Munich. Not only that, they went on a 51-win streak without losing in any competitions and reached the finals of the Europa League. They would ultimately lose the final of the Europa League, however they would go on to win the Bundesliga, and the DFB Pokal, completing their double.
In conclusion, under the guidance of Xabi Alonso and the team’s hard work, Bayer Leverkusen has achieved remarkable success, transforming them into a feared opponent in the Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen will now shift their focus on Europe, hoping to achieve something bigger.
Works Cited
Bundesliga. “MASTERMIND ALONSO: From 17th to 6th 🔝 Leverkusen’s Rise | Tactical Analysis.” YouTube, 9 May 2023, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlHtLjCLHzA. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
ESPN. “Leverkusen 1-0 Kaiserslautern (May 25, 2024) Game Analysis – ESPN.” ESPN, 2024, http://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/701602. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.Fretton, Mitchell. “Bayer Leverkusen Did It! Xabi Alonso’s Team Beat Augsburg to Finish Bundesliga Season as Unbeaten Champions – but Can They Win the Treble?” Goal.com, 18 May 2024, http://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/bayer-leverkusen–xabi-alonso-finish-bundesliga-season-unbeaten/blt08fd2a02dbf933b6. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.