The seventh installment of our 18 Bundesliga tactical previews to be launched on Get German Soccer Information occurs to be the primary part that really incorporates a DFB-Pokal scout. From this level ahead, the techniques of the Bundesliga groups within the opening spherical of the German home cup shall be taken into consideration. Some squads require extra examination. Within the case of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, there actually wasn’t a lot of a selection. Coaching camp proved woefully inadequate to determine what new coach Erik ten Hag hopes to perform right here.
Leverkusen have been capable of win their first spherical tie in opposition to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach and evaluation of the victory is integrated under. Die Werkself are additionally the primary group with top-four prospects that we’ll be reviewing. The query as as to if Germany’s crimson firm group can hope to carry onto their Champions League standing isn’t actually answered and might’t hope to be answered for fairly a while. If there’s a conclusion to be drawn, nevertheless, one may say that Leverkusen aren’t actually as completely blown aside as one may assume. They’ll nonetheless contend.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
This piece and subsequent ones will focus extra on the precise gamers who show promise than masking the wholesale adjustments remodeled the course of the summer season. Because the sardonic tone of the primary part makes evident, nobody not dwelling beneath a rock isn’t conscious that Leverkusen are engaged in a large rebuilding undertaking. We’ve little selection however to hurry by way of that a part of the template with a purpose to get to the extra fascinating stuff.
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Main personnel shifts, Leverkusen
Estimated Summer season Switch Stability = +€92.5m
Phrew. Should we actually? It takes decidedly much less time to checklist the gamers who remained with Leverkusen than to spend treasured power discussing all who left. Furthermore, there’s nonetheless loads of footballers who could also be on the way in which out.(most likely going) and (most likely staying) may but change their minds. Piero Hincapie, Patrik Schick, Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Exequiel Palacios, Nathan Tella and Aleix Garcia can lodge switch requests at any time. That is past ridiculous! By no means earlier than have any Bundesliga watchers witnessed a group get gutted so totally.
Maybe it simply suffices to say that your complete backbone of this group is gone. Having misplaced their finest attacker (Florian Wirtz), their finest defender (Jonathan Tah), and their midfield talisman (Granit Xhaka), one merely must neglect the practically three seasons that constituted Xabi Alonso’s tenure. No extra Jeremie Frimpong or (former captain) Lukas Hradecky both. And the newcomers? Double phrew. We’ll get to them in an prolonged variations of the sections under. What impression they make and the way Erik ten Hag may make use of them
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Notes from camp, Leverkusen
Ten Hag has achieved his degree finest to vogue one thing coherent out of this unfastened conflagration. There stays little constructive to report from the corporate membership’s ill-fated “foray in Rio”. The group carried out significantly better in subsequent friendlies. The brand new Dutch coach was stated to favor to construct the group round a 4-3-3 formation, however discovered himself pressured to try to maintain some semblance of Xabi’s 3-4-3 collectively with a purpose to protect squad cohesion. That’s exactly what we noticed in a 2-0 win over Bochum. It received the job achieved, albeit in fairly sloppy vogue.
New defensive additions and impressed in a 2-1 win over Fortuna Sittard. Quansah even scored in his debut along with his new membership. has his moments in area. The three-4-3 regarded coordinated on the press within the first half, steadily shedding its form because the subs started piling on within the second 45. Palacios, Robert Andrich, and scored within the subsequent take a look at fixture, a 3-0 win over Pisa. Grimaldo was very a lot the star-of-the-show in that one.
Some readers could have had an opportunity to take a look at the ultimate Chelsea pleasant instantly. proved the one shiny spot in that 0-2 defeat. Ten Hag tried out some bizarre 3-4-1-2 formation (that ended up trying like a 5-2-2-1 more often than not in that one. Hopefully, we’ve seen the final of that travesty. As promised, we’ll get to the Pokal efficiency in larger depth under. , however many considerations have been resolved.
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Winners from camp, LeverkusenIbrahim Maza, ATTM
Clearly, the Berlin native isn’t Flo Wirtz. Watching him carry out within the friendlies and later within the Pokal, nevertheless, one actually can sense some similarities. The 19-year-old possesses a strong really feel for the half-spaces on the second attacking axis and cuts quick contained in the lanes. He’s respectable at drawing protection with intelligent touches and sending the correct sorts of balls by way of the channels. The German nationwide group could very nicely have missed out on one thing particular with this teenage expertise. With , one wouldn’t thoughts seeing him play alongside Wirtz behind the lead striker on the DFB choice.
Robert Andrich, CM
The should really step up his recreation with a purpose to fill Granit Xhaka’s boots. For no matter it’s price, the Potsdam-native has at all times had the chew about him within the midfield duels. Naturally, he lacks Xhaka’s tackling finesse and stays extra inclined to crazy errors. Ten Hag however made absolutely the proper transfer in handing Andrich the armband. The now 18-times-capped German worldwide stays a well-liked determine amongst German footballing fanatics. He’s a helluva participant and he had an excellent camp.
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Christian Kofane, CF
Victor Boniface could want to after what Kofane has proven us. A splendid objective within the pre-season and a draw of a penalty within the Pokal. The 19-year-old seems set to stay on the roster for the forthcoming marketing campaign. Ten Hag clearly likes Kofane higher. So do some German soccer watchers. It now turns into fairly obvious One seems ahead to a number of years of Bundesliga soccer from this younger lad. Boniface is probably going transfer-bait now.
Jarell Quansah, CF
German soccer watchers received an opportunity to “double-scout” Quansah at each the UEFA U21 European Championships and Leverkusen’s camp. At his new Bundesliga membership, the 22-year-old has turned in sturdy performances each within the middle of the back-three and the right-hand-side. Merely said, he’s rattling good. Glorious discipline imaginative and prescient on lengthy passes and exceptionally sturdy within the air. Tough to determine if he ought to anchor the back-three or work the correct slant. Most likely the latter, but it surely’s shut.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, LWB
Effectively. Based mostly on his performances in each the take a look at fixtures and the Pokal, one can no less than say for sure that Grimaldo nonetheless needs to be enjoying for this group. Maybe crucial holdover from the Xabi Period can doubtlessly carry this group once they want it most. He seems ready to shoulder his justifiable share of the burden for the defensive midfield work left by Xhaka’s absence as nicely.
Losers from camp, LeverkusenJonas Hofmann, RW
Yikes. One can absolutely count on now that Ibrahim Maza has overwhelmed him out for a beginning spot. What occurs with the 33-year-old now stays a thriller. One can’t consider a prime tier facet that has any potential use for Hofmann. It’s nearly a tragic thought to image him pulling down the door of Borussia Park in a determined try and get Gladbach to take him again. Nobody is dwelling, Jonas!
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Malik Tillman, RW
Harm precluded us from getting a lot of a take a look at the previous Bayern man. In all honesty, a former author of an “Individuals within the Bundesliga” deep-scout column isn’t so positive he was ever enamored with Tillman. His older brother Timothy (previously of SpVgg Greuther Fürth and now an LAFC man) was at all times the extra feisty footballer within the household. Malik at all times had a shy, shaky really feel about him. His profitable overseas ventures have presumably helped him mature, however that completely hasn’t been confirmed on the Bundesliga degree but.
Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, RW
Unseen. Unneeded. seals up the correct flank. If Simon Rolfes and the B04 administrative group are clever about issues, additionally they received’t (as has been rumored) mortgage out Brazilian wingback Arthur. This , which, ought to finish within the Germany U18 worldwide getting parked someplace on mortgage. Hopefully, they’ll ship the child someplace the place he can earn minutes.
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Tactical Scout, Leverkusen
The 2023/24 German double winners received the job achieved on the soggy and soppy WirMachenDruckArena in Großaspach. Be aware that they have been aided by a 45-minute-hail interruption and two late crimson playing cards that diminished opponents SG Sonnenhof to 9 males late. The final two late objectives within the 4-0 victory got here after the 2 late sendings off. The ultimate objective additionally got here from the penalty spot.
Ten Hag’s males really performed a reasonably poor first half and have been considerably fortunate to not head into the locker room down 1-2. In lots of respects, the 2 groups performed on a comparatively even keel till the primary 66th-minute sending off. Arthur made it 2-0 within the 74th. One ought to notice that Grimaldo’s battle with sickness meant that the preliminary XI wasn’t arrange correctly.
Lineup—Leverkusen (DFB Pokal)
Nathan Tella absolutely didn’t recognize not solely having to function a wingback once more, however this time doing so on the left. Adli additionally labored on his unnatural facet, although he did decide up the help on Patrik Schick’s 1-0. On the break, Grimaldo relieved Adli, Maza switched to the correct, and Tella moved up on the left. That labored okay. Großaspach nonetheless rattled their favored friends and broke up play far too simply. It however issues not on the finish of the day as development was secured.
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Right here’s what’s going to probably see in a weeks’ time
Lineup—Leverkusen (Projected)
Leverkusen face a stern take a look at of their Bundesliga opener in opposition to in one of many Saturday 15:30s. Er, do notice that Germans could also be skipping Leverkusen-Hoffenheim because it isn’t probably the most culturally important of the early choices. It may nonetheless be an excellent recreation….that just about nobody in Germany shall be watching.
A tip?
Most likely a high-scoring draw.
GGFN |