Bayern’s strong performance fails to match Leverkusen’s record-setting excellence.
The Bayer Leverkusen social media team had undoubtedly been anticipating the moment to capitalize on an opportunity. That moment arrived last Saturday when Bayern Munich allowed a lead to slip at home against FC Augsburg, ultimately losing the match 2-1, marking their first Bundesliga defeat of the season.
This prompted a Schadenfreude post:
List of unbeaten champions in Bundesliga history:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
End of list.
I must admit that I believed it was quite probable that the Rekordmeister would replicate the achievement of Xabi Alonso’s double winners in 2023-24 by completing an entire domestic season without a loss. In the grand scheme, a minor setback like the one experienced last week is unlikely to trouble Vincent Kompany & Co. for long. Bayern have other priorities, starting with a visit to their coach’s former club Hamburg SV, where the Nord-Süd-Gipfel (north-south summit) is set to take place on Saturday (stream LIVE at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). HSV, plagued by injuries and struggling to score, will find it challenging to match Augsburg’s dynamic and effective display at the Allianz Arena.
It was characteristically Bayern-like (an English phrase also used in German) to quickly move past Augsburg and secure a victory at PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League. Achieving seven wins from eight matches in the new competition format is commendable and provides Bayern with a potentially significant home advantage in the return legs leading up to — potentially — the final.
This may seem like looking too far ahead, but there are several at Bayern’s Säbener Straße headquarters who believe it was detrimental last season to have to navigate a playoff-round tie against Celtic and subsequently travel to the San Siro for the ultimately unsuccessful second leg against Inter Milan.
Bayern have everything organized, allowing them to concentrate on domestic objectives in February (at least): the Bundesliga and a challenging DFB-Pokal quarterfinal against RB Leipzig in less than two weeks.
The most uplifting aspect of Wednesday’s victory in the Netherlands was the return of Jamal Musiala to the starting XI, who also contributed the opening goal of the match. That Musiala’s inclusion only adds to Kompany’s selection dilemma in the creative roles is not a concern for Bayern supporters as a whole.
We also caught a glimpse of Bayern’s potential future goalkeeper during the midweek match. Jonas Urbig made a series of high-quality saves in a performance that will lead many to believe he is the true successor to Manuel Neuer. Currently, it remains unclear what Neuer’s plans are beyond this season when the 39-year-old’s contract is set to expire.
The decisive goal came, perhaps predictably, from Harry Kane. On Monday, Bayern’s sporting CEO Max Eberl confirmed that discussions are ongoing with the England captain regarding an extension of his contract beyond 2027.
Honestly, it would be surprising to me if the partnership were to end prematurely. Kane clearly enjoys his time in Munich, and who wouldn’t? From a football perspective, Bayern has provided him with an opportunity to win numerous trophies, which was the one aspect missing during his time at Tottenham Hotspur. It is also evident that he appreciates the culture of German football and the more intense atmosphere in the stadiums.
Kane, at this stage, has nothing to prove to anyone (120 goals in 127 matches so far for Bayern) and no reason to complicate matters by trying out another new city.
Bayern greatly value his professionalism. The fit has been nearly perfect. This should be straightforward to agree upon.
Champions League reflects German pretenders’ status
The league phase has its detractors, but over eight matches as a representation of the current standing of the four Bundesliga representatives, it has been accurate this season.
Leverkusen in 16th and Borussia Dortmund in 17th — roughly mid-table in the 36-team field — accurately reflect two teams that are unlikely to contend for the trophy. BVB will be disappointed with themselves for missing the opportunity to secure a direct spot in the round of 16 due to a home loss against Inter.
I have been somewhat critical of Malik Tillman in his first season with Bayer 04. However, the United States international was hindered by injury after joining in the summer and has not always been able to play and excel in his preferred playmaker position.
Wednesday night against Villarreal showcased Tillman at his best, scoring the first two goals in a 3-0 victory and generally brightening the evening at the BayArena. The next challenge is to replicate that performance consistently — which one would expect from a €35 million signing — and against higher-caliber opponents than Villarreal has proven to be in Europe this season.
Eintracht Frankfurt in 33rd, as in the Bundesliga, conceded far too many goals in a Champions League campaign that, based on fixture difficulty, always appeared challenging.
If, as seems likely, Albert Riera becomes the successor to coach Dino Toppmöller, he will face a tough task just to secure the club’s place in European competition for next season. Last week’s defeat to surprise package TSG Hoffenheim has made that path even more challenging.
