The biggest match of the Bundesliga campaign so far takes place on Saturday evening, with Bayern Munich top of the table and ready to host Bayer Leverkusen, the reigning champions who have found it somewhat tougher going this term with a target on their backs, following on from that incredible unbeaten year last season.
By Karl Matchett
While there’s no doubting the fantastic job Xabi Alonso has done, it was always going to be a big ask to repeat the feat of winning the title in any manner, let alone in an unbeaten 34-match streak. And so, when they lost on just gameweek two, there was plenty of comment and no small amount of wondering over a potential implosion – it’s happened before elsewhere, after all. But this Leverkusen side is resilient, and knows how to grind out wins. It’s not as though last year they merely swatted aside everyone; there were plenty of late goals, comebacks, big shows of big mentality.
This term already they’ve won 3-2 deep into stoppage time and, last time out, 4-3 by the same manner – Victor Boniface after 94 minutes to see off Wolfsburg. It is not, of course, a sustainable way to take victories over the long haul. The emotional high from such encounters can be great, but Leverkusen must again find the way to become miserly in defence. They conceded only 24 last season, an average of 0.7 per game; this season already it’s nine in four, 2.25 a game.
The sample size is small, but the improvements they need to make, despite three wins from four, are glaring. That said, go deeper than the ball merely being in the net and B04 might feel hard done by: nine have been conceded from an xG against of just 4.4 – they are being punished for every chance allowed.
That might be fine to absorb a few times when you come up against a run of sides who are not excellent in attack, but it’s fair to say that would not include Bayern Munich.
Vincent Kompany’s side are looking explosive in the final third, with a massive array of options and several talents – new signing Michael Olise in particular – looking in magical form. Harry Kane, meanwhile, tops both goals and assists charts, contributing nine in total already.
The positive for Leverkusen to cling to? As many chances and goals as they’re conceding, they are matching it and more in attack. This could be an end-to-end slugfest where simply the most clinical wins.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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