The 2001-2002 season is almost over and Bayer Leverkusen is one of the best teams in Europe. In fact, they could still win the treble (Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League).
But with three match days to go, when the team ranked first while five points clear of second place, the team crumbled. The squad managed by Klaus Toppmöller fell to Werder Bremen and Nuremberg and lost the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund, who recorded 70 points and beat the aspirin side by one.
A few days later, Schalke 04 came back against them in the DFB Pokal final and, lastly, Zinedine Zidane would deal the final blow to their season in the Champions League final with a volley that became part of football history.
They could have conquered the treble, but ended up winning nothing in 2002. The events of that season gave them the nickname of Bayer ‘Neverkusen’.
However, that team is no longer with us. There is no longer such thing as ‘Neverkusen’ because Xabi Alonso has been the prophet of a fanbase and has taken them to the Promised Land: their first Bundesliga title.
This Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen are the clear favorites to defeat Werder Bremen, who played a critical role for them not to win the title in 2002, but will not get in the way of Xabi Alonso lifting his first major title as a manager.
Their fans had fallen short of the league championship in five occasions and had only been able to enjoy a UEFA Cup title in the 1987-1988 season (after beating Espanyol in the final) and a DFB Pokal in the 1992-1993 season.
With six matches to go, they have racked up 76 points and beat the total which allowed Bayern to win last year (71 points) by a substantial amount. This goes to show that their first title in over 30 years is not a result of the poor performance offered by the Bavarian side, but the fantastic play of Bayer Leverkusen.
They have also reached the Pokal final, in which they will face Kaiserslautern, a team who currently face the danger of being relegated to the German third division and who have more than exceeded expectations by reaching the final.
They took down West Ham in the first leg of the Europa League quarter finals and, in the semifinals, they would face the winner of the Italian matchup between Milan and Roma.
Xabi Alonso has proven his worth as a coach and, in spite of top European clubs like Liverpool or Bayern trying to convince him to join them next season, he has chosen to stay and try to continue developing a group that will attempt to compete for every title once again.
To put Bayer Leverkusen’s achievement into perspective, they currently hold the second longest unbeaten streak in the history of the top five European leagues (a total of 42 mathes compared to the 43 of Antonio Conte’s Juventus).
All of the team’s players have improved their performance compared to that of last season: Wirtz come back from an ACL injury like nothing ever happened and has proven to be a world class talent as well as an attacker with the potential to dominate European football for the next decade; Boniface has burst into the scene this season and managed to score before the replacements that were signed as a result of his major injury.
On another note, Hoffman has been a critical piece in some of the decisive moments of the season; Frimpong has recorded unbelievable numbers that are, most likely, impossible to replicate for a player like the Dutchman; Grimaldo has been the best full-back in all of Europe and his striking ability has been a key factor, while Palacios and Xhaka have been the engine of their midfield.
But what stands out the most is the fact that the continuity of Xabi Alonso proves that the project is as solid as ever and that there will not be many departures in the upcoming transfer window.
The Champions League better be ready, because the Europa League (in which they are really close to advancing to the semifinals) is not close to enough for this Bayer Leverkusen side, whose only remaining similarity with ‘Neverkusen’ is the possibility of winning the treble.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @bayer04fussball.
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