Leverkusen's alarm sign: From championship to complacency!

Leverkusen's alarm sign: From championship to complacency!

In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen causes a sensation, but not in the usual way. Coach Xabi Alonso has expressed some concerns in his team after the disappointing 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel. The strong performance of the previous year in particular seems to be difficult to understand this year. After only six match days, the defensive weaknesses that were hardly visible in the past season.

Before the game against Kiel, the mood at the Werkelf was optimistic despite the radiant start, although careful after the flattering start with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Granit Xhaka already criticized the susceptibility to errors in defense there. "We can't go on like this," he explains and speaks of an educational situation. But the step back against Kiel indicates that the team still has a long way to go.

missing consistency in defense

in the game against Holstein Kiel started Bayer 04 and quickly led 2-0. Execiel Palacios, who stood in the starting eleven, convinced in the first few minutes, while Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann caused the goals early. But instead of expanding the lead, mistakes crept in that soon gave control over the match. "We thought the game was over," said Alonso, "but you have to continue to play with the same intensity."

The goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky found that it was not only about technology, but also about the attitude. The changed defensive, which only 24 goals conceded last season, had to take 12 in these first six games. "This statistics are amazing," said Hradecky. The setback against Kiel makes the trainer and his players think.

At the same time, the question arises whether the team may have tied up the past season too early. After the strong appearances in the Champions League, where Leverkusen stayed without a goal, the belief in their stability seemed to be returned. But the goal success of Max Schwill and Fiete ARP show that this confidence was deceptive.

"This looseness has broadcast something different from seriousness," says Hradecky. The wake -up call does not seem to have arrived, and the players now have to learn that no victories are given even in the Bundesliga. Alonso, who was celebrated last season, now faces the challenge of getting his team from nesting complacency that has been reflected in the last games.

A football trauma is not foreign to Leverkusen. Again and again they lost in crucial moments, often even against smaller opponents. This season, the question now arises whether the repeated mistakes are not only a temporary phenomenon, but also a serious problem that has to be tackled quickly. Because every point in the Bundesliga is crucial.

The pressure increases and expectations are high. Future encounters will have to show whether the Werkself can change the switch again. Trainer Alonso knows that the way back to success over hard work and consequence leads. It remains to be seen whether the team will find this path, but a clear message is certain: "We were masters because we took every game like the crazy ones," emphasized Hradecky.