For a long time, the fans were amazed at a fabulous football match. But in the end, everyone who was with Bayer 04 Leverkusen was trembling for the full return that the Werkself got after five anxious minutes of injury thanks to their own dedication and a partially new type of football, which celebrated its Bundesliga premiere under Bayer 04. ultimately deserved.
The 3-2 win in a top game worth seeing over RB Leipzig, the Supercup and DFB Cup winners and third place finishers from last season, clearly indicated the change in style at the Werkself for a long time, who offered fast-paced football with no alternative last season, who, however, was not always firmly anchored on the defensive or in midfield.
Coach Xabi Alonso’s new handwriting was evident over long stretches on Saturday. He has extended his contract until 2026 and now has the ambition to leave his own mark when the Spanish cosmopolitan player leaves Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joins an even bigger club changes. For now, the Basque was “very pleased with the result and performance” of a team. “We played very well with and against the ball.”
Turbulent Encounter
Saturday was for the lucky winners, visibly strengthened by experienced new greats such as Granit Xhaka, who has returned to the Bundesliga from Arsenal and is in his prime at 30, who clearly ordered Bayer 04’s midfield game. The 31-year-old German national player Jonas Hofmann immediately showed his offensive quality and creative power, as did the 27-year-old left-back Alejandro Grimaldi, who came from Benfica Lisbon, and who immediately enlivened the Rhinelander’s actions at the back and front.
At the end of a turbulent encounter, Leverkusen won the first game of the new season with goals from Frimpong (24th minute), Tah with a header (35th) and Wirtz thanks to a fabulous lob to make it 3-1 (64th). But Leipzig didn’t allow themselves to be intimidated by a setback, reducing the lead to 1:2 (39th) with Olmo’s header and Openda’s header to 2:3 (71st). The new Belgian center forward also managed a very special feat when he put the ball against the post in front of the empty Leverkusen goal (74′). Another goal could have turned the game completely.
Leipzig a bit too inactive
29,464 viewers saw a thriller that captivated viewers and promoted the new season. Leverkusen and Leipzig can be expected to be pretty high up in the long run. The teams impress with different styles of play: Leverkusen with combination football that is amazingly quick in the preparatory phase and that always seems purposeful with rapid ball passages. Leipzig, who had to replace an entire axis because Nkunku, Szoboszlai, Laimer, Gvardiol and Halstenberg left the club, remained true to their fast-paced football, the counter-pressing that wasn’t entirely consistent this time and the physical touch, which is now also part of the repertoire at Bayer 04.
Since this season, Leipzig have relied on the massive Belgian Openda, the dribbler Xavi Simons (Paris Saint-Germain), the defensive midfielder Nicolas Seiwald (RB Salzburg) and Benjamin Sesko (Salzburg) and Christoph Baumgartner (TSG Hoffenheim), who were still suffering this time. .
In the end there was nothing to gain for coach Marco Rose’s team in Leverkusen, because the team had to react too often to deficits and was a bit too inactive to be able to determine the game themselves. “We know,” said Rose, “that we can do things better, it’s a defeat we have to live with.” The winners were all the happier after the tremors at the end. Granit Xhaka, an instant fixture in the Werkself’s central midfield, is happy “to be back”, as the Swiss, who switched to the Premier League from Borussia Mönchengladbach seven years ago, emphasized.
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He “couldn’t have asked for a better start,” he emphasised, having “left as a youngster” and “returned as an experienced player”. A former Leverkusen player, Benjamin Henrichs, who trained at this club, complained discreetly. “We weren’t calm enough in crucial situations,” emphasized the right-back. “Three goals conceded aren’t what we’re aiming for, we can do better.” Preferably on Friday with a home win over VfB Stuttgart.
