Moderator Tommy 12,622 Posted April 14 Moderator Share Posted April 14 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Stan 18,388 Posted April 14 Administrator Share Posted April 14 Excellent stuff. Xabi Alonso has done a supreme job there, knocking Bayern off their perch for at least one season! Congrats to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Was about time somebody ended Bayern's streak. Bit ironic it's Neverkusen off all teams! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relling 166 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Congrats! Tremendous season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6666 1,310 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Happy for Xhaka. An underrated player in his time at Arsenal but was always an important player. Glad that he got he hands on a league title. Especially at the expense of Kane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick 2,276 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Awesome to see. Very happy for Xabi, I really wish he hadn’t committed to them for the foreseeable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeKhrush 298 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Still undefeated, that's absolutely bossing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 9 minutes ago, OrangeKhrush said: Still undefeated, that's absolutely bossing it. In all competitions including Europa League,mind you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeKhrush 298 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 9 hours ago, Rucksackfranzose said: In all competitions including Europa League,mind you. Has any German team done the invincibles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) 3 hours ago, OrangeKhrush said: Has any German team done the invincibles Kind of: Hamburger SV won the title 1922/23 undefeated, that was a) before the foundation of the Bundesliga, b) before the DFB-Pokal has been established, c) and of course long before somebody thought of European competitions, though.It's actually quite surprising no team remained undefeated for a season since Buli's implementation nor the great 70's Bayern team, that won 3 European cups in a row , or their Gladbach counterpart, neither Guardiola's Bayern team. Edited April 15 by Rucksackfranzose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Hewitt 1,282 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Fair play, not an easy feat to do. Congrats to them. So..........how many if them will be Bayern players next season? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 2,207 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Phenomenal achievement, some great players there playing under Alonso. I hope they can disrupt the Champions League next season, would be great to see them win it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber Viva la FCB+ 2,557 Posted April 15 Subscriber Share Posted April 15 I do kind of hope they just go undefeated now just cus. They've been a revelation this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber Dan+ 1,918 Posted April 15 Subscriber Share Posted April 15 Fantastic achievement. Cannot be understated. This isn't a great Bayern side but I think even great Bayern sides would've struggled against these this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael 1,117 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) Congratulations to the Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen. It's an absolutely incredible achievement for Leverkusen to have won the Bundesliga and in such a dominant fashion. They are still undefeated in all competitions this season and they have played a really high standard of football throughout the season. Bayer Leverkusen have a superb team that is well balanced and a lot of credit for their success must go to Alonso. In his first real job as a manager for a team in a top league, he took Leverkusen to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season. He also guided Leverkusen to a respectable 6th place finish in the Bundesliga last season, after he took over the club in October 2022, when Leverkusen were 2nd from bottom in the Bundesliga table. This season, Leverkusen have been flawless and Alonso has helped guide them to their success superbly. This team is wonderful with so many great players, but Florian Wirtz is the star man. Wirtz is the future of German football and at still only 20 years of age, he will be the main man that Germany will rely on if they are to have a successful European Championships this summer. After now winning the Bundesliga title, Bayer Leverkusen will now focus all their attentions on winning the Europa League and the DFB Pokal final. Winning the treble would be the icing on the cake for an immaculate season for Leverkusen. Edited April 15 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Michael said: Congratulations to the Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen. It's an absolutely incredible achievement for Leverkusen to have won the Bundesliga and in such a dominant fashion. They are still undefeated in all competitions this season and they have played a really high standard of football throughout the season. Bayer Leverkusen have a superb team that is well balanced and a lot of credit for their success must go to Alonso. In his first real job as a manager for a team in a top league, he took Leverkusen to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season. He also guided Leverkusen to a respectable 6th place finish in the Bundesliga last season, after he took over the club in October 2022, when Leverkusen were 2nd from bottom in the Bundesliga table. This season, Leverkusen have been flawless and Alonso has helped guide them to their success superbly. This team is wonderful with so many great players, but Florian Wirtz is the star man. Wirtz is the future of German football and at still only 20 years of age, he will be the main man that Germany will rely on if they are to have a successful European Championships this summer. After now winning the Bundesliga title, Bayer Leverkusen will now focus all their attentions on winning the Europa League and the DFB Pokal final. Winning the treble would be the icing on the cake for an immaculate season for Leverkusen. Agree with almost all what you wrote, yet could imagine they don't focus only on the two competitions you mentioned. It's at least imaginable this winning the league without a single loss is also a goal, since it's unprecetended in Buli's history, that no teams like to lose aside. Edited April 15 by Rucksackfranzose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael 1,117 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 3 minutes ago, Rucksackfranzose said: Agree with almost all what you wrote, yet could imagine they don't focus only on the two competitions you mentioned. It's at least imaginable this winning the league without a single loss is also a goal, since it's unprecetended in Buli's history, that no teams like to lose aside. I'd love it if they go the whole season unbeaten in the Bundesliga, because that would be unbelievable. But I am sure that their young manager Alonso, will want to win as many trophies as possible this season. The upcoming away game against West Ham is not going to be easy at all, although Leverkusen should still come through that match and make it to the semi-finals. But I think that the next 2 Bundesliga matches against Dortmund and Stuttgart will be really tough for Leverkusen. Leverkusen will only have 3 days between their away game to West Ham and their match against Dortmund. That's not a long time to prepare, so it will be a real test for the Bundesliga Champions. I don't think and I am not suggesting that Alonso will rest half the team for the remaining Bundesliga games now that Leverkusen have won it, but I definitely think he will prioritise the Europa League matches and the DFB Pokal final. If there are any injury issues with some of the players, he is not going to risk playing any of them in the Bundesliga if they are not fully fit. He will prioritise the other 2 competitions that they are still in and he might risk some players who are not 100% fit in them. I am sure Alonso wants Leverkusen to remain unbeaten this season, but I think we know what he will want more. Either way, winning the treble and going unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season is the ideal scenario that the club would no doubt like to achieve. It's incredible to think that Bayern Munich have won the last 11 Bundesliga titles on the trot and now Leverkusen have appeared this season and completely dominated the Bundesliga. It's also the 1st time that Leverkusen have ever won the Bundesliga and they have certainly now shrugged off their nickname of "Neverkusen". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Tommy 12,622 Posted April 15 Author Moderator Share Posted April 15 It hardly surprised me to be honest. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 5 minutes ago, Michael said: I'd love it if they go the whole season unbeaten in the Bundesliga, because that would be unbelievable. But I am sure that their young manager Alonso, will want to win as many trophies as possible this season. The upcoming away game against West Ham is not going to be easy at all, although Leverkusen should still come through that match and make it to the semi-finals. But I think that the next 2 Bundesliga matches against Dortmund and Stuttgart will be really tough for Leverkusen. Leverkusen will only have 3 days between their away game to West Ham and their match against Dortmund. That's not a long time to prepare, so it will be a real test for the Bundesliga Champions. I don't think and I am not suggesting that Alonso will rest half the team for the remaining Bundesliga games now that Leverkusen have won it, but I definitely think he will prioritise the Europa League matches and the DFB Pokal final. If there are any injury issues with some of the players, he is not going to risk playing any of them in the Bundesliga if they are not fully fit. He will prioritise the other 2 competitions that they are still in and he might risk some players who are not 100% fit in them. I am sure Alonso wants Leverkusen to remain unbeaten this season, but I think we know what he will want more. Either way, winning the treble and going unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season is the ideal scenario that the club would no doubt like to achieve. It's incredible to think that Bayern Munich have won the last 11 Bundesliga titles on the trot and now Leverkusen have appeared this season and completely dominated the Bundesliga. It's also the 1st time that Leverkusen have ever won the Bundesliga and they have certainly now shrugged off their nickname of "Neverkusen". After having seen the first match: Where does this come from? Even Sandhausen in DFB-Pokal played better against Leverkusen than West Ham, to be honest. Granted it took Leverkusen a while to score, still a 0-0 is enough and West Ham were as dangerous as my dead grandmother throughout the match. I(f I were Alonso I'd rest players in this match even when my next opponent were Ratingen in a friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael 1,117 Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 4 minutes ago, Rucksackfranzose said: After having seen the first match: Where does this come from? Even Sandhausen in DFB-Pokal played better against Leverkusen than West Ham, to be honest. Granted it took Leverkusen a while to score, still a 0-0 is enough and West Ham were as dangerous as my dead grandmother throughout the match. I(f I were Alonso I'd rest players in this match even when my next opponent were Ratingen in a friendly. West Ham are much stronger at home than they are away. I think we remember what happened in the last round, where West Ham lost 1-0 away to Freiburg and then thumped them 4-0 at home. Leverkusen were very dominant in the 1st leg against West Ham, but I think that West Ham's plan was to defend and try to secure a draw for the return game in London. Obviously that didn't work out, despite them holding out for a long time during the match. But you can't conclude how strong you believe West Ham are by looking at this match alone. West Ham obviously have different game plans for the matches they play, depending on the opposition. Thrashing Freiburg 4-0 shows that they are a side not to be taken lightly when teams play at their ground. West Ham have a good record in European competitions in recent years as well, they were semi-finalists in the Europa League in 2022 and they won the Europa Conference League last season. West Ham have beaten teams like Arsenal twice this season, once in the league and in the League Cup. They are obviously a side to be respected and just because they played ultra defensively in the 1st leg, that doesn't mean they are not a strong side, they are a much stronger side than Sandhausen. Having said that, they will be missing 2 key players for the return leg, both Bowen and Alvarez will be absent, but they still have plenty of other good players. Despite that, Leverkusen should still advance, as they are obviously the stronger side. I have to say, to use the example of Ratingen is slightly disrespectful. There've been a few people on here in the past who've unfairly disrespected the quality of the Bundesliga and I've defended the Bundesliga as it's obviously a very strong league. But it now seems like you're being a little disrespectful to West Ham. Surely you can see that the fact they didn't create much in the 1st leg, is not a representative of what they are capable of when they go out to win a match. As I mentioned they played Freiburg off the park at home in the last round, so they are not to be underestimated, even if Leverkusen are hot favourites to advance. I think that ensuring that Leverkusen don't mess up in this match against West Ham, is more important than potentially losing against Dortmund in the Bundesliga next weekend. I think that this is clear for most to understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,383 Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 I've gotten used to show the same respect towards the English Premier league as most of the English members around here show towards the Buli, since you have to take what you dish out. "It resounds from the forest as you ccall into it" to use a German speech. And no, I don't think West Ham are as weak as Ratingen, don't think their performance in the first leg, or their performances versus Freiburg while we're at it were good enough to worry Leverkusen either, though. I'd rather rest Wirtz for the matches in Dortmund and at home against Stuttgart, since I rate both teams better, and this is indeed my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael 1,117 Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 6 hours ago, Rucksackfranzose said: I've gotten used to show the same respect towards the English Premier league as most of the English members around here show towards the Buli, since you have to take what you dish out. "It resounds from the forest as you ccall into it" to use a German speech. And no, I don't think West Ham are as weak as Ratingen, don't think their performance in the first leg, or their performances versus Freiburg while we're at it were good enough to worry Leverkusen either, though. I'd rather rest Wirtz for the matches in Dortmund and at home against Stuttgart, since I rate both teams better, and this is indeed my opinion. That's fair enough that you follow the policy of "you have to take what you dish out" or as we say here, give as good as you get. But personally prefer to take the higher ground and argue on as much a factual basis as possible. You are entitled to your opinion as regards to West Ham's, Dortmund's and Stuttgart's strengths, but I just think that West Ham have proven their European pedigree in recent seasons and last year's Europa Conference League winners will present a stern test for most sides on their day when they play at home. Having said that, I've also just read that they will also be missing Paqueta as well as Bowen and Alvarez for the return match against Leverkusen. Leverkusen are the obvious favourites to advance, but I do respect West Ham and their performances in recent seasons. I think it would be great if Bayer Leverkusen won the treble, it would go down as one of the best ever seasons for a Bundesliga club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber Viva la FCB+ 2,557 Posted April 16 Subscriber Share Posted April 16 15 hours ago, Tommy said: It hardly surprised me to be honest. This was a stuffy doll/voodoo doll if Ive ever seen one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Tommy 12,622 Posted April 16 Author Moderator Share Posted April 16 27 minutes ago, Viva la FCB said: This was a stuffy doll/voodoo doll if Ive ever seen one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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