Leverkusen have no time to soak in ‘Neverlusen’ season
Bayern, Bundesliga champions in the previous 11 seasons, finished third behind Bayer Leverkusen and VFB Stuttgart
Bayer Leverkusen’s undefeated run to their maiden Bundesliga title will need time to sink in but coach Xabi Alonso said they barely have a moment to enjoy their exceptional season as they are chasing more trophies in an attempt to complete the treble.
Long derided as ‘Neverkusen’ for their failure to win a major title for decades, Leverkusen became the first ever team in the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss following a 2-1 victory over Augsburg in the season finale on Saturday.
The club hailed the achievement by giving themselves a new nickname on their social media channel - ‘Bayer 04 Neverlusen’.
“It is an exceptional season, not only in Germany but in Europe,” Alonso said in a press conference. “We deserve now to be part of that history of European football. In 20 years we will look back and we will say ‘we did that’.
“It is an important day for the club. We have to be proud of the way we played. 90 points and undefeated,” he said. “We need a bit more time to value this title. The first Bundesliga title but a big Bundesliga title victory.”
Alonso’s team also stretched their European record unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 51 matches as they look to add two more titles next week.
Leverkusen face Atalanta on Wednesday in the Europa League final before taking on Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on May 25.
“I believe it (the unbeaten title win), but I need more time. But we have no time because we have the next big goal (on Wednesday). It is unique opportunity,” Alonso said.
“We will remember this day. It is a special day to have the league trophy here and having done it undefeated. This team has now been engraved in Bundesliga history.”
Meanwhile, departing Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel was unhappy with his team’s lack of focus following their season-ending 4-2 loss at Hoffenheim on Saturday in which the Bavarians threw away a two-goal lead.
Bayern, Bundesliga champions in the previous 11 seasons, finished third behind Bayer Leverkusen and VFB Stuttgart, and will go without domestic or European silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
“We started really well but then we had a string of string of individual mistakes,” Tuchel said in a short press conference.
The coach is leaving Bayern after just over a year in charge after the club announced his departure in February.
There had been talks last week to potentially reverse that decision, but no agreement was reached.
“In the second half we played well for 15 minutes but then it was again a series of individual mistakes and loss of possession,” Tuchel said. “We gave away a two-goal lead for a completely unnecessary and bitter defeat.”
Bayern, despite a string of injury absences, were 2-0 up by the sixth minute but Hoffenheim scored four times including an Andrej Kramaric hat-trick in the second half to turn the game around.
“It happens far to often, like that. It happened in Stuttgart where we conceded two late goals (for a 3-1 defeat). In Heidenheim the same (for a 3-2 loss), here the same. It just happens too often,” Tuchel said.
“I have an explanation for that but it is not for the public,” he said.
Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlovic, who is part of Germany’s preliminary Euro 2024 squad, went off injured early in the match and will under go further tests.
“He twisted his ankle. We will have to wait and see what the checks show,” Tuchel said.