Leverkusen’s Capitulation At Bayern Confirms Demise Of An Engaging Rivalry | Andy Brassell

If it was going to end, it was ever apt to extremity here. That it was going to extremity precisely for illustration this, though, was not truthful predictable. Bayer Leverkusen arrived astatine nan Allianz Arena connected a tally of 37 Bundesliga distant games unbeaten, and they ne'er looked for illustration extending it. You will forgive nan Bundesliga neutral for mourning not nan nonaccomplishment of an unthinkable record-breaking series which stretched backmost to 27 May 2023 – erstwhile Xabi Alonso’s team were heavy beaten by relegation-battling Bochum – but nan demise of a competitor to Bayern Munich not seen since Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund were successful their thrilling pomp.

This was little an authentic Topspiel and much a piercing afterparty hangover, a reliable supermarket-bread pretzel and lukewarm coffee, a Monday greeting missive from HMRC, a achromatic and achromatic declaration of unavoidable dues owed. All of which, of course, was awesome for Bayern arsenic they limbered up for this week’s Champions League gathering (a existent woody Topspiel) against holders Paris Saint-Germain, pinch nan precocious re-signed Vincent Kompany capable to show nan authority and pragmatism that led him to this constituent by leaving Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Michael Olise connected nan substitutes’ bench.

This is nary disapproval of Kompany aliases Bayern, who person earned nan correct to negociate nan resources of hardly their biggest squad successful caller representation arsenic they spot fit. After dispatching nan 2024 champions – aliases what’s near of them – Bayern’s grounds for nan play stands astatine a magnificent 15 games, 15 wins.

In galore ways this latest 1 was Kompany’s governance of nan run successful microcosm: nan revival of Serge Gnabry, who scored nan opener midway done nan first half; nan make-do-and-mend attack which is successful capable to look thing but pinch Konrad Laimer and now young Tom Bischof excelling successful nan full-back positions (they assisted nan first 2 goals, pinch Laimer laying connected a first Bundesliga onslaught for Nicolas Jackson); nan position to time off retired nan likes of Kane and it not being a large issue. They remained intolerable to contain, racing into a 3-0 half-time lead which they ne'er relinquished. The coach has, successful nan words of Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Martin Schneider, “transformed Bayern backmost into a beast”.

Vincent Kompany began pinch Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Michael Olise connected nan bench. Photograph: Christina Pahnke/sampics/Corbis/Getty Images

Bayern were nevertheless met pinch small resistance. Leverkusen had an xG of 0.02 astatine half-time, and that roseate to conscionable 0.12 aft a 2nd half of Bayern cruising pinch a comfortable lead and making a raft of changes. “We were never,” said nan characteristically frank Robert Andrich, “in a area successful nan first half wherever we were going to beryllium capable to compete pinch Bayern.” One wonders really overmuch of Kasper Hjulmand’s over-cautious attack – pinch an evident 3-4-2-1 quickly becoming a 5-4-1, and pinch their prima Alejandro Grimaldo and nan knowledgeable Jonas Hofmann besides some connected nan chair – was residual harm from Die Werkself’s ain caller Champions League brushwood pinch PSG, successful which they played bravely and creditably successful nan first half and still recovered themselves 4-1 down astatine nan break en way to a humiliating 7-2 loss.

Just arsenic Bayern can’t beryllium blamed for nan decease of competition, neither tin Leverkusen. OK, the Erik Ten Hag appointment was a misstep but overmuch of this season’s symptom was inevitable aft nan wide income of nan summer. Hjulmand has a packed almanac and small clip to create a cohesive portion from a group of talented players who are still connected people to make nan apical four; a bully outcome. As a nine Leverkusen merit in installments for recognising who and wherever they are, and that they can’t beryllium Bayern. But having been spoiled successful this fixture successful caller years, waving goodbye to an engaging rivalry is simply a saccharine sorrow.

Talking points

• Even if they tin hardly beryllium seen arsenic a genuine threat to Bayern – contempt having developed considerably from their 6-0 humbling successful Munich connected nan season’s opening nighttime – RB Leipzig are going a agelong measurement towards arguing they are nan champion of nan rest. Ole Werner’s squad stay second, 5 points behind, aft a beguiling show to polish disconnected different of nan early play high-fliers, Stuttgart. Their caller pieces are clicking, pinch nan fantabulous 18-year-old Yan Diomande sparkling (and scoring) again and centre-forward Rômulo clinching a 3-1 triumph precocious connected aft taking advantage of Alexander Nübel’s stumble. “His sanction says it all,” said nan second of nan former. “He’s a diamond.”

• Jobe Bellingham whitethorn not person had rather arsenic seismic an effect connected nan Bundesliga truthful acold arsenic Diomandé, but he made a valuable cameo successful Dortmund’s constrictive triumph astatine struggling Augsburg connected Friday nighttime that kept them third, earning fulsome praise from his coach Niko Kovac. “He’s ever present, he has awesome physicality and a method value that he showed again present successful his 30 minutes connected nan pitch,” Kovac told Sky aft Bellingham helped to unafraid nan consequence pinch a cleanable last-ditch tackle connected Elvis Rexhbecaj, preventing nan Kosovan from scoring an equaliser. “I person nary doubts astir him. Quite nan opposite. We’re building him up step-by-step. In fact, it’s going moreover faster than I expected because nan boy has truthful overmuch quality.”

• It’s been a week of sizeable advancement excessively for Borussia Mönchengladbach, pursuing up nan 3-1 DfB Pokal triumph complete second-tier Karslruhe pinch a first Bundesliga triumph since March, ending a hopeless tally of 15 without a triumph – and pinch awesome style, arsenic they yet thumped St Pauli 4-0, pinch a brace from Haris Tabakovic and a virtuoso midfield show from nan renewed Florian Neuhaus, who had been banished to nan under-23 squad astatine nan commencement of nan season. It was timely too, pinch Heidenheim and Mainz some performing creditably successful isolation during 1-1 draws pinch Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen respectively. But their failures to triumph allowed Gladbach to assistance themselves retired of nan bottommost 2 pinch their triumph successful Hamburg. Despite nan awesome show and consequence their sporting director, Rouven Schröder, is expected to clasp disconnected naming Eugen Polanski, nan interim coach, arsenic nan imperishable successor to Gerardo Seoane, pinch nan derby against FC Köln to travel up of nan world pause.

Jobe Bellingham played a cardinal domiciled successful Dortmund’s triumph complete Augsburg. Photograph: Alexandra Beier/AFP/Getty Images

• Köln hit chap promoted broadside Hamburg connected Sunday day to participate nan derby successful good fettle, pinch caller centre-forward Ragnar Ache adding a first Bundesliga extremity to his Pokal onslaught against Bayern successful nan week. But everyone had almost forgotten astir Ache’s opener by nan extremity of a tortuously agelong 2nd half, pinch referee Daniel Schlager and his squad taking a ludicrous six minutes to chalk disconnected a Fábio Vieira extremity for nan visitors, which had seemed a reasonably unfastened and unopen lawsuit (Schlager defended himself by arguing that “safety takes precedence complete speed”, though nan restless crowd astatine nan RheinEnergie Stadion intelligibly felt otherwise moreover if nan process yet recovered successful their favour. It led to 12 minutes of stoppage clip – a agelong capable agelong to move nan location side’s 2-1 lead against 9 men into a broad (on paper, astatine least) 4-1 thumping pinch further goals connected nan antagonistic by nan fantabulous Said El Mala and Jakub Kaminski.