Leverkusen clinched the championship title with just five rounds to go. For the Sky expert, the Werkself are also the favorites for the title next season.
Munich - At 7:21 p.m. Bayer Leverkusen became German football champions on Sunday evening, and at 7:40 p.m. the industry leader published its statement about the first title holder since 2012 who was not called FC Bayern. The words of the club leaders could be classified as a good mixture of congratulations and a declaration of war. While President Herbert Hainer proclaimed “the bowl must go back to Munich,” CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen spoke of an “incentive.” Sports director Max Eberl had the final word: “FC Bayern’s series has broken, but we will now do everything we can to attack again.”
The announcement from the south did not spread fear and terror in Leverkusen. Sports director Simon Rolfes was asked on Monday in the “ARD Morgenmagazin” whether he feared a counterattack from Bayern in the coming season. The answer was clear: "No, I'm not afraid of that, we only play against them twice and not every match day." The 42-year-old followed up with an important addition: "That's why what we do is important."
The fact is: Bayer has embodied more Mia san mia for months than the once feared FC Bayern. “We want more!” coach Xabi Alonso shouted at the Leverkusen fans on Sunday evening. After the championship title, which was already bagged five rounds before the end, the DFB Cup and the Europa League should also be won. Next season the bowl defense is on the agenda.
“Bayern were always most dangerous when they had to accept setbacks. But now it's a different situation. They didn’t just lose the championship, Leverkusen wore them down,” says Sky expert Didi Hamann in an interview with
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. “If they stay together, a lot would have to happen at Bayern in the summer for me to say they beat Leverkusen over 34 games. At the moment Bayer is also going into the race as favorites next year.”
Hamann sees many unknowns at FC Bayern
Especially since the squad planners won't be resting either. As the
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learned, Leverkusen is planning a three-digit investment in its team in the summer, which was already so far ahead of the rest of the Bundesliga this year. The top performers around the axis Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz remain and work, the framework is in place. Selective reinforcements in the right places can make the overall work even better, but are not as absolutely necessary as in Munich. As we all know, almost everything there is put to the test in the summer. Until you get back to a permanent unit, hard decisions, expensive purchases and, above all, the formation of a hierarchy are absolutely necessary. Nothing that happens overnight. It will take patience, money and a hard hand. And a new coach anyway.
“Leverkusen is now 16 points ahead of Bayern. That won't be much less at the end of the season. And you have to make up for such a gap over the summer. “The Leverkusen team won’t have such an outstanding season again,” said Hamann. “But there are a lot of unknowns at Bayern. They don't have a new coach yet. They will bring in three or four new players and possibly sell three or four stars in return. They are currently making good money. I doubt that such players will be sold quickly.”
Philipp Kessler, Hanna Raif