After the criticism from the Swiss, the champion presents himself improved. However, the team is still far from the dominance of the previous season.
A role model for duels: Granit Xhaka (r.) in a duel with Jamal Musiala.
The first reaction after the final whistle revealed almost everything about the game. Some clenched their fists, while others waved dismissively. The ones who clenched their fists and seemed quite satisfied with their performance were the Leverkusen players.
The ones who waved were the Bayern players. Both had good reasons to react that way, as there was much more possible for Bayern than a 1:1 after Robert Andrich’s goal for Leverkusen and the spectacular equalizer by Aleksandar Pavlovic. However, the Leverkusen players immediately understood that this was an outcome that could not have been better for them that afternoon. And that was, compared to the expectations, or rather: the fears, a whole lot.
For the champion had not had a disastrous start to the season with three wins and one loss, but the manner in which the team played gave coach Xabi Alonso reason for concern. Leverkusen was not just the titleholder that had managed to win the championship last season without a single defeat. Leverkusen’s game was characterized by one feature: unconditional dedication. Not just for 90 minutes, but if necessary for 96, 97, and 98 minutes.
The last season is unbeatable
The late goals were the signature of the champion, but this would not have been possible had they not shown that hunger, the will to give the opponent nothing, over the entire game. Alonso’s team was a monstrous embodiment of willingness to contribute, as had not been seen in this league before.
Surpassing such a season is impossible. And that is why Leverkusen is paying especially close attention, focusing on details that may not count so much elsewhere. However, so far it has not just been minor issues that have caused concern for the coach. Last week, his team won 4:3 against Wolfsburg, and once again, they scored a late goal. Yet a certain laxity was observable. The willingness to defend their own goal seemed far less great than in the championship season.
Granit Xhaka, the leader, lingered after the game against Wolfsburg in front of every microphone that was placed in his path. And Xhaka willingly provided information about the deficiencies. “We cannot defend so naively. That’s not enough and must not happen at this level. It’s a huge wake-up call for all of us,” Xhaka said in a TV interview, repeating this diagnosis in many variations. A top team, according to Xhaka, does not concede two goals in nine minutes.
Xhaka was more conciliatory on Saturday
On Saturday, Xhaka seemed more conciliatory after the final whistle, and when asked how satisfied he was with this performance, he said that the result alone showed it: “We defended significantly better throughout the game.” This observation was entirely correct. But it expressed little more than a first relief that the erosion process had been temporarily halted.
One only needs to remember where Leverkusen is coming from: In the last match against Bayern, the record champions were dismantled 3:0. From that form, however, Leverkusen is currently far away, so far that one could almost forget that it is Bayern who are in the role of challengers.
Bayern coach Kompany praises Leverkusen
For the Munich team, this is unusual enough, but for the new coach Vincent Kompany, the situation has one advantage: The expectations were lower than usual, partly due to the considerable skepticism regarding his appointment. After the match, the Belgian seemed quite satisfied, even the fact that his team, which had performed so dominantly, accomplished little in Leverkusen’s penalty area did not disturb him: “I think we also have to look at how well Leverkusen did it.”
A compliment for the defensive work of the titleholder: that is also a way to articulate one’s own ambitions. When his colleague Xabi Alonso, the champion coach, was asked what distinguished the Bayern of this season from those who lost 0:3 to his team last season, he said: “The energy, the belief, you can feel it.” For a moment, it sounded as if he was talking about his team from last season.