Success against Inter: Bayer Leverkusen plays like a real defending champion

For example: That the Werkself, which had floated through all competitions in an absolutely life-affirming manner in the previous season, can now also deal with adversities that even the best football teams simply cannot avoid over long periods of time. At some point everything stops coming together like magic, and at some point efficient antidotes are developed for even the most beguiling play styles. Leverkusen have had to experience this the hard way this season. And yet they were able to work their way out of this comparatively complicated phase – in the game against Inter using a tried and tested stylistic device from the previous season: a goal shortly before the end.

Captain Xhaka spoke afterwards of a “mature” Leverkusen performance

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was “very satisfied”; after all, they played against “a top, top team”. On the one hand that was true, but on the other hand it was only half the truth. Inter arrived at the German-Italian championship duel with an impressive record of 13 games without defeat and a clean sheet in the premier class season until Tuesday. However, Inter’s coach Simone Inzaghi also rested five or six of his absolute top players at the beginning, including wingman Federico Dimarco, playmaker Nicolò Barella and striker Lautaro Martínez. A draw, as it seemed throughout the game, would have been a more than acceptable result for the Milanese team. However, it speaks for Leverkusen that they did not want to concede this point to Inter.

The game was largely tense and uneventful; However, she still managed to touch on some of the overwhelming themes of Leverkusen’s season so far. Coach Alonso once again had to make do without a real center forward because, apart from Boniface, Patrik Schick, who had recently been in good form but was repeatedly plagued by minor and major aches and pains, was also unable to report that he was fit to play. The slender Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella took turns at the front, with the two being required to do much more than just standard centre-forward services.

They should tighten the mesh around Milan’s structure. Putting this opponent under pressure was “enormously difficult,” explained Alonso, because of their constant rotation and hard-to-calculate tempo changes – and last but not least, there was a risk in this project that high-risk pressing would open up the spaces into which the lightning-fast Inter attacker Marcus Thuram likes to move in. Because Wirtz and Tella were supported by, among others, the wide-set full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Piero Hincapie, the Werkself managed to manage threats seriously. Inter remained harmless. And the Leverkusen team, who had often been noticed for their defensive negligence, especially in the league, were able to attest to their “mature appearance” (captain Granit Xhaka).

Leverkusen have been unbeaten in seven games and are getting better and better

The midfielder also referred to the performance curve, which has recently shown a clear upward trend, and the fact that the team has recently overcome all kinds of challenges. The right solutions were found both for newly promoted St. Pauli and against Italian champions Inter. “That gives you self-confidence,” said Xhaka, explicitly referring to goalscorer Mukiele: The Frenchman had to struggle with injuries and minor adjustment difficulties this season, even though he still knows the Bundesliga from his earlier days at RB Leipzig.

Mukiele’s goal was of course “the highlight,” said Alonso, but he also saw “a lot of good things” from him. Ultimately, everything takes time. In any case, Leverkusen, who were invincible in the previous season, are unbeaten in seven competitive games and have moved up to second place in the Champions League table. The adjustment phase to the first defending champion season in the club’s history may have taken a while. But there are almost legal arguments that the Werkself are slowly but surely in it.