Elliot David Ave-Lallemant
It’s no secret that German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen have been dominating the Bundesliga. Going 16-4-0, it’s not hard to see that their manager has found some kind of secret formula to feed the players. But how did we get here? Leverkusen’s run is shocking the Bundesliga and the world, but it wasn’t always like this. Nicknamed “Neverkusen,” Leverkusen have never won a Bundesliga title, but spent a lot of time in second place. The nickname also extended to European competitions like the Champions League and the Europa League, where Leverkusen could never quite get there. Before the current manager Xabi Alonso took over in 2022, they were 17th in an 18 team league, and at risk of going down to the Bundesliga 2. Alonso managed to take them out of relegation, with Leverkusen finishing 6th at the end of the season. Next season was when they really started cooking, and they have not lost a SINGLE GAME so far in the 23-24 season. In their most recent game against VfB Stuttgart, Leverkusen came back TWICE and then went on to win the match 3-2, sending them through to the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal. But it isn’t over yet. They still have to make it to the 18th of May to secure their first ever Bundesliga title. Leverkusen’s great form is sure to continue against the one dominant team in the league, Bayern. Bayern have won the league 11 times in a row, and with their new signings like Harry Kane, they’re looking to make it 12. Is luck on their side, or will it all fall to Bayern like it does every year? Only time will tell!
In my opinion, Germany has been a one team league for the last 25 years, and if Leverkusen can pull it off, it might give the Bundesliga the excitement it so desperately needs.
AP News
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