There was no team more exhilarating to watch last season than Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso’s side made every other team in Germany – and Europe – look dull by comparison. They scored goals for fun, averaging 2.6 goals per league game on their way to Bundesliga glory, and made a habit of producing dramatic late moments, scoring 19 stoppage time goals.
Alonso remained at Leverkusen over the summer, and so too have many of his team’s traits – The Black and Reds scored a stoppage time winner against Borussia Monchengladbach on the opening day of the new season. However, the Spanish coach is also making tactical adjustments to ensure Leverkusen’s continued evolution.
This was evident in the recent matches against Bayern Munich and AC Milan when Leverkusen took a more conservative approach. At the Allianz Arena against their biggest rivals for the Bundesliga title, Alonso’s team sat back and asked the Bavarians to break them down. They played against the ball for the majority of the match and claimed a point.
Against AC Milan, Leverkusen started with their customary energy and attack-minded ambition, but once again dropped their defensive line back to protect a 1-0 lead. This is a new look for a team that won the German title for the first time last season by being as proactive as possible in every single game they played.
It could be that Alonso was simply responding to Leverkusen’s defensive vulnerability of the first few matches of the season. The Black and Reds haven’t kept a single clean sheet in the Bundesliga this season and have paid for a lack of stability at the back with a defeat to RB Leipzig and a home draw against promoted Holstein Kiel.
Alternatively, Alonso is following the tactical zeitgeist. Managers like Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are control freaks. They prioritise dominance above all else and Bayer Leverkusen were used to being in control last season – they had the highest average share of possession of any team in the Bundesliga.
Arteta in particular, however, is showing a different way to control games. Arsenal like to have the ball too, but much of Arteta’s game plan is about controlling matches out of possession. The Gunners have repurposed centre backs as full backs (see Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori) and aim to limit opponents just as much as they impose their own attacking game.
All this has led to Arsenal earning a reputation for being the Premier League’s best defensive unit since the days of peak José Mourinho. If the North London side are to end their long wait for a title this season, it will be on the back of their defensive strength. This is the thing that makes them so formidable.
Alonso might well be borrowing a page from the Arteta playbook by setting up Bayer Leverkusen to control games out of possession this season. It might go against the grain for a team that essentially plays its two wing backs as out-and-out attackers, but this could be the tactical evolution required for Leverkusen to take the next step.
Of course, Alonso’s Arsenal-ification of Bayer Leverkusen mustn’t come at the cost of their natural attacking verve. Last season, The Black and Reds were so successful because of the number of different ways they can harm opponents. They have wing backs who effectively play as wide attackers. And a battering ram of a centre forward who can find scoring chances in tight spaces. And midfielders who can pick out the top corner from 25 yards out.
Some might argue Arteta has veered too far into defensive control over creative flair. While the absence of Martin Ødegaard has certainly been a factor, Arsenal are trailing behind Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in terms of Expected Goals (xG) in the Premier League this season. Alonso would be wise to give his Leverkusen team another dimension rather than change their character entirely.
Sooner or later, Alonso will depart the Bay Arena to take the next step in his managerial career. The 42-year-old might have turned down Bayern Munich and Liverpool this summer, but speculation is already swirling about Manchester City and Real Madrid’s interest in the former midfielder taking over at some point in the future.
For the time being, though, Alonso is focused on turning Bayer Leverkusen into a team that can do it all. Having won the Bundesliga last season, the Champions League presents the next opportunity for Alonso and his players this season. The work being put in now in the league phase could help them make a deep run in the knockout rounds.
Alonso wasn’t the only one to stay at the Bay Arena over the summer. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Victor Boniface were linked with transfers, but they all stayed. Alonso has complete buy-in from everyone at Leverkusen. If he wants to turn The Black and Reds into Arsenal, nobody will argue against him. The process is already taking place.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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