Bayer Leverkusen's Season on the Brink
- Chuck Smith
- Apr 3, 2018
- 2 min read
Bayern Leverkusen has - at times - played with the youthful exuberance and tenacity one would expect from a squad featuring precocious German 21-year old talent Julian Brandt and the explosive Jamaican, Leon Bailey.
At other times, however, Leverkusen has been uninspired or even lackadaisical. The Bundesliga season, meanwhile, has a cruel way of testing the mettle of its clubs when they are not just battling their opponents, but themselves.
Leverkusen's recent two-game slide, which has included a 2-0 loss to FC Koln and 0-0 draw with FC Augsburg, could not have come at a worse time. Die Werkself has found itself scuffling to find consistency, while grasping on to a Europa League slot (5th place) at a time when its next league opponents include the murderer's row of RB Leipzig (April 9th), Eintracht Frankfurt (April 14th), and despite their own recent travails, Borussia Dortmund (April 21st). For good measure, Leverkusen has a DFB Pokal match against league juggernaut, Bayern Munich, on April 17th.
Even moving past those opponents, Leverkusen will close out the Bundesliga season against three teams who have markedly improved or at least shown the ability to not be a pushover in VfB Stuttgart (April 28th), Werder Bremen (May 5th), and Hannover 96 (May 12th).
If you want to see what Die Werkself is all about, check back in after that slate!
This is the stretch that will determine if Leverkusen is truly evolving into a European-level side behind its young talents or if it is just another flash in the pan squad that wasn't ready for the big time. If Leverkusen succeeds it will likely be behind the youthful legs of Brandt and Bailey, along with Kevin Volland. Even with Bernd Leno in the midst of a solid season, it will be the aforementioned attacking trio that probably determines how Leverkusen will finish.
It is not just those players above who have the ability to influence Leverkusen's immediate future, though. There are high hopes for young German fullback Benjamin Henrichs and Argentina's 25-year old forward Lucas Alario. This is a monumental period for the youthful core of Leverkusen. If Lars and Sven Bender can stay healthy and provide the stability required give their veteran stature, this Leverkusen unit could find itself in complete control of its own destiny.
Each of the remaining opponents for Leverkusen present their own unique issues. For Leipzig and Dortmund, Die Werkself will likely need to gear itself for an offensive shootout. For Frankfurt, meanwhile, Leverkusen will need to find a way to penetrate what will likely be a conservative and defensive game plan from Niko Kovač. The tactical ability of Heiko Herrlich will surely be put to the test and also be open for scrutiny should Leverkusen muddle its way through this stretch.
Despite what the pundits may say, anything short of advancing to a top four (Champions League) position will be a failure, despite the team's youth. With the opportunity to bolt past Leipzig and Dortmund, Leverkusen is in a position to personally ensure it can push past its opposition.
Now it's up to Leverkusen to shake off its Neverkusen label...and it just may have the core of hungry youngsters that don't know enough to fear what lies ahead to make it happen.
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