The Bayer Leverkusen social media team must have been eagerly anticipating the perfect moment to strike, and it finally came last Saturday when Bayern Munich squandered a lead at home against FC Augsburg and ultimately lost 2-1, marking their first defeat of the Bundesliga season.
In response, Leverkusen posted this cheeky update:
List of unbeaten champions in Bundesliga history:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
End of list.
I used to think it was quite plausible for the Rekordmeister to match the impressive record of Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten double winners during the 2023-24 season. However, last week’s setback will likely be just a minor blip for Vincent Kompany and his squad. Bayern will have other objectives to focus on, starting with a match against their coach’s former club, Hamburg SV, where the Nord-Süd-Gipfel (north-south summit) is set to take place this Saturday (stream LIVE at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). Hamburg, plagued by injuries and struggling to find the net, will find it challenging to replicate Augsburg’s lively and effective display at the Allianz Arena.
It was rather typical of Bayern to quickly put the Augsburg defeat behind them and bounce back with a dominant win over PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League. Achieving seven victories in eight matches under the new format is an impressive feat that could give Bayern a crucial edge in upcoming home games leading up to — potentially — the final.
This may seem like forward-thinking, but those at Bayern’s Säbener Straße headquarters believe that going through a qualification playoff against Celtic last season was detrimental. Additionally, the travel to San Siro for the unsuccessful second leg against Inter Milan didn’t help matters.
Bayern appears to have everything sorted, allowing them to concentrate on domestic aspirations in February, particularly the Bundesliga and a challenging DFB-Pokal quarterfinal against RB Leipzig in less than two weeks.
A highlight of Wednesday’s match in the Netherlands was the return of Jamal Musiala to the starting lineup, who made a significant contribution by scoring the opening goal. His inclusion is sure to create a selection dilemma for Kompany in the creative positions, but this is a concern that Bayern fans are happy to have.
The match also provided a glimpse into Bayern’s possible future between the posts, with Jonas Urbig delivering an outstanding performance with a series of high-quality saves, showcasing his potential as the next in line to Manuel Neuer. However, it remains uncertain what Neuer’s plans are beyond this season when his contract is set to expire.
The decisive goal was scored, rather predictably, by Harry Kane. On Monday, Bayern’s sporting CEO Max Eberl confirmed discussions are in progress regarding extending Kane’s contract beyond 2027.
Honestly, it would be surprising if Kane and Bayern parted ways anytime soon. Kane seems to be thriving in Munich, and why wouldn’t he? Bayern offers him the chance to win numerous trophies, a significant gap during his time at Tottenham Hotspur. He also appears to enjoy the vibrant football culture and intense atmosphere at German stadiums.
At this stage of his career, Kane has nothing left to prove (with 120 goals in 127 games for Bayern), and there’s no reason to complicate matters by moving to a new city.
Bayern values his professionalism highly, and the partnership has been nearly perfect. This should be an effortless agreement to reach.
Champions League Reflects the Status of German Contenders
While the league phase does have its detractors, the results from eight matches provide a clear indicator of the current standings of the four Bundesliga representatives.
Leverkusen sitting at 16th and Borussia Dortmund at 17th accurately reflect a pair of teams unlikely to contend for the trophy. Dortmund will be frustrated with their home defeat to Inter, which cost them a shot at a direct ticket to the round of 16.
I have previously expressed some reservations about Malik Tillman during his inaugural season with Bayer 04. Admittedly, the U.S. international faced challenges due to injuries after joining this summer, hindering his ability to play in his favored Spielmacher (playmaker) role.
However, in the match against Villarreal on Wednesday, Tillman showcased his potential by scoring the first two goals in a 3-0 victory, demonstrating his capabilities throughout the evening at the BayArena. His next challenge is to maintain this level of performance consistently — which is expected from a €35 million signing — especially against tougher opponents than Villarreal has proven to be in Europe this season.
Eintracht Frankfurt, sitting at 33rd, has conceded far too many goals in a Champions League campaign that always looked formidable based on the fixtures.
If, as seems probable, Albert Riera is confirmed as the successor to coach Dino Toppmöller, he will face a challenging task to guide the club into European competition next season. Last week’s defeat to the surprising TSG Hoffenheim further complicated that path.