2024 Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are already history makers but it seems that the sky is the limit for Xabi Alonso’s record-breaking team.
When Werkself fans look at the season’s Bundesliga 2024 highlights, they will surely have to pinch themselves having watched their team totally dominate the big guns of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Red Bull Leipzig, leaving all three way, way behind.
Leverkusen have gone the whole season unbeaten, though it looked like that record was about to end on Sunday when Borussia Dortmund took an 81st-minute lead at a packed Signal Iduna Park to send the Yellow Wall into raptures.
But this Werkself side simply can’t be beaten, and when Josip Stanisic rose to head a 97th-minute leveller from a Florian Wirtz corner, nobody should have been surprised.
The Leverkusen players celebrated like they had won the league again, such is their determination to keep breaking records, even though their lead at the top of the table is a whopping 17 points.
So the Treble is on.
How the League was won
Alonso’s heroes were crowned German champions last week when Werder Bremen visited the BayArena and it was an incredible moment for the Leverkusen fans who witnessed their team winning the Bundesliga for the first time in their 120 year history.
Bayer battered Werder 5-0 to confirm their title and that was an incredible achievement for Alonso who took over as head coach in 2022 with Die Werkself second bottom of the table.
With a sometimes swashbuckling style of attack, pressing intensity and a brilliantly organised defence, supported by rock solid defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka, this was a team with an answer to every question they were asked. They have won 38 games and drawn six, scoring 124 goals and conceding just 31.
Bayer’s unbeaten run now stands at 44 games in all competitions, the last defeat coming in May 2023 and, if they make it to the end of the season they will break a record set by the great Benfica side way back in 1960. They have already set a new record for unbeaten starts in the Bundesliga, taking another title off Bayern Munich.
This team is a phenomenon and could become one of the greats.
But there is work still to be done this season…with one trophy won and two to go.
DFB Pokal
After walloping Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-0 in the semi-final of the DFB POKAL Cup die Werkself booked their final place against second tier Kaiserslautern who saw off the arch giant-killers Saarbrucken.
Die Roten Teufel, managed by Friedhelm Funkel, were founder members of the Bundesliga and played in the top division until 1996, winning four league championships and two DFB Pokals.
They last appeared in the Bundesliga 1 in 2005 and they spent their first four seasons in the third tier before promotion back to Bundesliga 2 in 2022.
This season Kaiserslautern are in serious peril again, sitting in 17th, two points from safety and with just four games left. The underdogs totally deserve their final place and their day in the sun; but it will be one of the shocks of the season if they can beat by far the best team in Germany.
Europa League
Following the exit of Alonso’s old team Liverpool, the Europa League 2024 betting odds have taken Leverkusen to be the most likely winners. They have waltzed through this tournament and, in beating West Ham over two legs, Bayer remained unbeaten in all competitions as well as making it to the last four.
A semi-final clash with Serie A’s Roma is another good test and if Die Werkself pass that one they will meet the winners of the other semi-final tie between Atalanta, conquerors of Liverpool, and Olympique Marseilles.
So which team is the biggest threat to Alonso’s men?
Atalanta were sensational when they beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield and La Dea are always a joy to watch. But, that great night on Merseyside apart, they haven’t been in the best form and before this weekend’s action they had won just one of the last six Serie A games.
OM beat Benfica to reach the semi-final but they too have been in poor form in their domestic league, recently losing three on the bounce and sitting tenth in Ligue 1.
So I’d say if they beat the in-form Roma in the semi-final then Leverkusen will have one hand on the third part of this treble.
It’s going to be a fascinating few weeks for Alonso’s Leverkusen; so whether you are a Bundesliga fan or just an admirer of the best teams in Europe, keep it here at SBOTOP to see how this amazing team closes out the season.
I reckon they will do it.
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