The reality is jarring. Tayfun Korkut’s team are three clear of the relegation play-off spot and two clear of Wolfsburg, who they held to a thrilling 3-3 drawOn a weekend in which 35 goals were scored in the Bundesliga, the BayArena always seemed likely to chip in generously. Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg fixtures, especially on this ground, produce goals, with the most notable occasion having been two years back, when the visitors let 3-0 and 4-2 leads slip before Bas Dost won the game at the death with his fourth goal of the afternoon.The difference then was that both teams were riding the crests of relative waves, finishing the campaign in fourth and second positions in the table respectively. Already,...
Faced with the club missing out on Champions League football again, Manchester United’s manager makes the point that it is harder to buy successDoes José Mourinho have a point about power being divided in the Premier League, or is the manager of Manchester United simply trying to get his excuses in early?United still have a job on their hands to crack the top four this season, let alone get back to winning titles, and should a third season in four arrive without achieving Champions League football questions are going to be asked about the effectiveness of his stewardship in the light of all the money spent. Perhaps in anticipation of that scenario, Mourinho has just observed that winning anything in...
The Dortmund coach renewed a tired club with a way of working ‘never seen before’ – it is understandable why he is being linked with a move to north LondonAfter a disappointing Saturday afternoon, at least the funders of one of those aeroplanes hired to fly over The Hawthorns might have been pleased by news emerging from Germany the following day, as it was claimed that Arsenal had made Thomas Tuchel an offer to succeed Arsène Wenger. Even if the Bild story has been flatly denied by Arsenal and seems like a deal highly unlikely to come to fruition right now, the Borussia Dortmund coach’s name is beginning to be more and more consistently linked with the Gunners. It’s viewed...
The Dutch manager presided over a surprise victory against RB Leipzig to boost relegation-threatened Wolfsburg’s hopes of avoiding the drop If ever there was a weekend to get it right, it was this one. In its afterglow, Wolfsburg’s win at second-placed RB Leipzig looked like a tremendous bonus on Saturday evening. 24 hours later, after Hamburg rolled over the in-form Borussia Mönchengladbach, it looked more like an absolute necessity. Neutrals dismayed at Bayern Munich’s ease towards another Bundesliga title, as much through the inconsistency of their rivals as their own strengths, at least have the promise of the battle at the bottom to keep them going. Everybody is picking up points – even rock-bottom Darmstadt won this weekend, for goodness’...
The whole Schmidt ride at Bayer Leverkusen has been a rollercoaster of soaring peaks and alarming troughs. Alas, the dips had become the normIt ended on a Tuesday night, 21 February. The looks that the Bayer Leverkusen players exchanged on the turf at the final whistle – at least, of those that could bear to make eye contact – after a spirited but vain second-half rally against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, spelled it loud and clear. It was all over; not only for Leverkusen in Europe but for their coach Roger Schmidt’s tenure.The official end came in a club statement on Sunday morning, backsides still red raw from a 6-2 spanking at Borussia Dortmund. The CEO, Michael Schade,...