Five Things We’ve Learned From Bayer Leverkusen This Season
Bayer Leverkusen have impressed in 2021-22. Many preseason Bundesliga predictions tabbed Leverkusen as a fifth or sixth-placed side, but as we head into March, they are sitting in third ahead of RB Leipzig and just five points behind Borussia Dortmund.
A young squad began the season with plenty of uncertainty. It was a team reliant on player development to meet their top four goals. Luckily, they have benefited from such progress with a squad that looks markedly better than it did at the start of the season.
Appointing Gerardo Seoane was a risk of sorts, with the Luzern native only having managed in Switzerland. Leverkusen were placing their faith in a manager with a great deal of success at Young Boys, but how would that translate?
It hasn’t been a perfect campaign, with two rough spells in October and December. There have been some wonderful performances along the way, though, both from individuals and the team as a whole.
There are a lot of happy memories for the Leverkusen faithful, particularly with the club riding a nine-match unbeaten run at home. Here are five things we’ve learned from Bayer Leverkusen’s 2021-22 season.
Potent Attack
Bayer Leverkusen have the third-best attack in the league by expected goals generated. They are comfortably fourth in expected goal difference per 90 too.
While that isn’t a drastically impressive mark, it’s better than many projected for them coming into this season.
Leverkusen have found the net 63 times this season – 14 more than any team other than Dortmund and Bayern. Their 30 goals scored in 12 away league matches is a particularly striking figure.
On 14 occasions this season, Bayer Leverkusen have scored three or more in a match. They managed that just 11 times in 2020-21, and 14 times through the whole of 2019-20.
This season has been a break through when it comes to chance creation and goal scoring – Leverkusen are one of the most dangerous attacking teams in Europe.
Wirtz is the Future Of Bayer Leverkusen
Named Bundesliga Player of the Month in September 2021, Florian Wirtz’s status as the future of the club has been confirmed in 2021-22.
Wirtz has almost doubled his expected assists per 90 from last season and has made a marked increase in his expected goal tally, too.
Not celebrating his 19th birthday until May, the German has made it clear he’s among the elite teenagers in world football. His output is not just good for a young player either – he’s already competing with the best playmakers in the league.
Both passing and dribbling to cause problems for opposition defences, Wirtz has a knack for finding pockets of space, leading to over nine progressive passes received per 90.
The only downside for Leverkusen with Wirtz’s performances this season is they could face an uphill battle to keep hold of him beyond next season.
Patrik Schick Finds a Home
With 13 goals in 36 appearances last season, it was unclear if Patrik Schick could step up as the main man for Bayer Leverkusen.
Such worries have been obliterated in 2021-22, with the Czech international scoring 20 times in just 20 Bundesliga matches. Only Robert Lewandowski has amassed more expected goals in the German top division this term.
Schick had a stellar Euro 2020 with the Czech Republic. Perhaps this is what he needed to kickstart his club career after underwhelming periods with Roma and Leipzig.
A striker making this sort of leap can transform a team. While there are some signs this is an unsustainable finishing streak (he’s scored 19 non-penalty goals on just over 12 npxG), there has also been a huge increase in his expected goals.
He has been a streaky finisher throughout his career, but the role he’s found in Seoane’s attack looks like the perfect home for his combination of hold-up play and penalty area play.
Seoane Hire Works Wonders
The relative risk in appointing Gerardo Seoane has paid off. Seoane has won 18 of his first 32 matches in charge of the Bundesliga side, bringing entertaining football in the process.
Top four was always the hope, of course, but the makeup of this squad meant a manager who could develop talent was crucial. Leverkusen have got that in Seoane, and he’s clearly played a role in the improvement of their young talents.
There are no guarantees in football management, and Seoane may have to cope with losing key players in the summer, but the early signs are that Leverkusen nailed this managerial hire.
Europa League Hopes
Ahead of their tie with Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen are far from Europa League favourites. Most bookies have seven teams ahead of them in the outright betting markets, including their upcoming opponents.
This is a club which has been limited to a handful of last four appearances in European competition. Their best efforts in recent years were a Champions League last 16 outing in 2016-17 and a journey to the last eight of the 2019-20 Europa League.
It’s a new-look Leverkusen since then, however, and this is a great opportunity for an inexperienced squad to get accustomed to the rigours of two-legged continental football.
Leverkusen’s Europa League record is largely uninspiring. They lost in the round of 32 in 2020-21 and 2018-19.
There have been good signs in the competition so far in 2021-22, however, with four wins and a draw from their first five group matches. Celtic and Real Betis suffered 4-0 defeats as they cruised into the knockout phase.
Will Die Werkself make a push for the Europa League in 2022?