Why Bayern Munich might finally lose the Bundesliga

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: theathletic.com/tifofootball
📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: linktr.ee/tifobook
Bayern Munich have won 11 straight Bundesliga titles and have dominated German football for a generation. But this season, that all might change. This season an entirely different team are leading the way in Germany.
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. How has this happened? Could they hold on to their lead?
Written by Seb Stafford-Bloor. Illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.
Follow Tifo Football:
Twitter: / tifofootball_
Facebook: / tifofootball
Instagram: / tifofootball_
Listen to the Tifo Football podcast:
The Athletic UK: bit.ly/TifoPodChannel
Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/TifoFootPod
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/06QIGhq...
Watch more Tifo Football: Tactics Explained: • Tactics Explained | Ti...
Finances & Laws: • Finances & Laws | Tifo...
Tifo Football Podcast: • Tifo Football Podcast
Most Recent Videos: • Most Recent Videos | T...
1 Popular Videos: • Popular Videos | Tifo ...
About Tifo Football:
Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game.
We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple.
We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more.
Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight.
Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to [e-mail].
Music sourced from epidemicsound.com
Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com
#Bundesliga #BayerLeverkusen #Bayer04

[@Too_m]

Scenes when Harry Kane doesn't win the bundesliga title 😭

[@User-ks8nt]

he'll win the CL so no worries

[@drinity49]

Spursy

[@DrDoom333]

You can never take the Spurs out of a man no matter where he goes.😂😂😂

[@Too_m]

@@User-ks8nt and I will marry jenna ortega

[@TheDefenseIsUpNext]

If Kane doesn't win his first Bundesliga, it will be because Thomas Tuchel is failing him

[@Pal_edits]

You can take a man out of spurs but cant take spurs out of a man

[@adam01101]

Harry kane joined Spurs in 2008. Which was the last time Spurs won a trophy… Maybe Kane is the curse the whole time

[@TheDefenseIsUpNext]

Kane is breaking records once again, it's not on him

[@TheHarlemShow01]

What a load of rubbish

[@containedhurricane]

Kane can't do high-press intensely. That's why his team's defense is always inconsistent

[@user-od4kr2tt4j]

Modric, Bale and Berbatov could

[@ibrahimchowdhury9779]

What Xabi Alonso has been able to achieve with this Leverkeusen side is nothing short of incredible.

[@tetokesenye397]

Not too Xabi one might say

[@ibrahimchowdhury9779]

@@tetokesenye397 😂😂😂

[@2tecci333]

Yh let’s not lie it’s not a bad side tho icl hope they win tho

[@rikachu571]

@@tetokesenye397theres Alons way to go 😉

[@StillAwesome21]

​@@tetokesenye397 Cheeky 😂

[@TheAlbumGuy]

I’m sorry, but it just WOULD be hilarious if Kane (after having played for a club notorious for an empty trophy cabinet) would move to a heavily decorated club, and STILL not win any silverware

[@ishaanhall78]

spurs won a trophy the year before kane was added to the first team. make of that what you will

[@avukovic84]

Well Deutsche cup is already lost for him XD

[@lukaswild9908]

Especially funny as Leverkusen are kind of the German Spurs. Very empty trophy cabinet there

[@joaosampaio4039]

and whit an on fire record breaker Harry Kane.

[@OnnumMuttaiyum]

I believe Bayern will win something... Definitely the most difficult is Bundesliga but Kane will have something in his palet

[@Allschmoi]

For anyone interested here in Germany they are not called "Neverkusen" but "Vizekusen". It's a word play with the german word for vice since they never finished better than second.

[@reinrassigerStuhl]

Neverkusen is a much better name imo, "vize" doesn't even sound similar to "Lever". But well, it's a German club and they already have a trademark on the name Vizekusen, so why bother changing it.

[@dAiMYoBeAr]

​@@reinrassigerStuhlnever and lever aren't pronounced the same in german

[@ridiculouslyoverpoweredsup4421]

He must think that everyone speaks English 😆 ​@@dAiMYoBeAr

[@panito3000]

Look at @@reinrassigerStuhl, actually correcting a german on the nickname of a german team... the nerve XD

[@wombatZ]

@@reinrassigerStuhl No haha That is not how we say Lever

[@chubs2312]

When these videos start coming out you know Bayern are winning it again Edit 11/02: Xabi is unbeaten and has only dropped 8 points in the league. Despite this record, Bayern are only 5 points behind even after today's loss. Leverkusen have been perfect so far but to see it out they need maintain that perfection vs a team that has been doing just that for the past decade. Edit 19/02 : starting to believe. This might be the year. Edit 03/03: B04 need 21 points out of 30 remaining or 2.1 ppg. They've been doing 2.67 ppg after 24 matches. Bayern have been doing 2.25 ppg. At Bayern's current rate, they'll reach 76.5 points. For B04 to reach 77 points they need 0.43 ppg or 13 out of 30 available. Xabi might do it. Edit 30/03: there's no way Leverkusen aren't winning it from here. 9 points from 7 games required. Done. Edit 06/04: bayern lost, neverlusen won. 6 points swing. 3 points from 6 games required and they could be champions before they play again. Xabi has saved German football

[@agonzalez7095]

I swear over the last few years there have been multiple occasions of other teams reaching the top spot and falling off by the end of the season?

[@StillAwesome21]

​@@agonzalez7095 Yes, Leipzig did and Dortmund did it twice. Bayern always find a way somehow.

[@redbloodcell4047]

It must be pretty rare for a team to be top of a top-flight league for the entire season, especially a largely underdog team like Leverkusen.

[@kwl189]

​@@StillAwesome21 across a full league and season, the stronger teams quality and strength in depth more often than not wins out against a smaller club which is a shame. That's why league titles require a different level of quality to win compared to cups.

[@EliasRoy]

They are losing it this time. Any May Spurs win FA Cup 😂😂😂😂

[@zartesnilpferd6778]

Haven't heard of "Neverkusen". They're called "Vizekusen" because they tend to always come in second.

[@teem4800]

In England, we say 'Neverkusen'

[@jdogg448]

What does Vize mean?

[@maximusst1506]

​@@jdogg448 It means Vice as in Vice-president. So always 2nd.

[@sh4wz0r]

But they haven't actually finished second since 2011

[@jr-jo3wn]

@@sh4wz0r It was coined in the early 2000s after they had multiple second places in the Bundesliga and in 2002 managed to get the treble of second places in Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League

[@rehannongbri6358]

I mean Bayern are just four points behind and it is the Bayernliga in the end.. so if Leverkusen can hold on till the end of the season, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.

[@TK_Brainslug]

and they have a game in hand

[@rehannongbri6358]

@@TK_Brainslug yup

[@nilssteinhauer9879]

I doubt anybody actually belives Leverkusen will win. It's a fantastic story, but the most important games are the "easiest" ones, against mid and lower table teams in the second half of the season. Any other "contender" usually drops points so no matter how bad Bayern starts, they'll always eventually catch up. Also funnily enough, in the fifth tier of the German football pyramid there is a league called Bayernliga (north and south).

[@rehannongbri6358]

@@nilssteinhauer9879 they're so fond of Bayern that they've actually named the fifth tier after em 😂😂

[@wanttj]

Right. Anything can happen until the last match of the season. Remember last season?

[@sudiptab57]

I really hope and pray for Leverkusen to clinch the title. The monopoly needs to break Good luck

[@multifaceteduser3405]

i want kane to win a trophy first

[@amplifier464]

Not this time😅

[@nicholask4961]

Bayern just lost..... Leverkusen is beating Harry kanes bayern by 7 points with less than a half of a season to comeback

[@nicholask4961]

​@@amplifier464 Not this time huh? I would bet my house leverkusen will win the league mark my word

[@spongeaang98]

I'm an American military brat who grew up in Germany (Kaiserslautern) during my high school years. The Bundesliga has a very special place in my heart and I left Germany in 2014, a year after their amazing treble and beginning of their dominance. I had no idea it would last over a third of my life the way it did, because the Bundesliga was exceptionally competitive at the time and other teams below Bayern usually duke it out heavily to this day. I love Bayern with all my heart, but watching them monopolize German football made me tired of watching the league, so the hope of finally seeing a new team take the mantle gives me some hope once again!

[@mattyctill]

You don't love Bayern with all your heart then, you simply can't. I don't know of a single football fan who wants to see their team lose.

[@sEaNoYeAh]

​​@@mattyctill depends on circumstances. Roma and Lazio fans often say they'd rather see the other relegated than win the league. So if it would get Roma relegated a lot of Lazio fans would happily watch a relegation threatened team beat them. Plus few people outside of Celtic fans actually want to just win everything every year with no actual contest.

[@mattyctill]

@sEaNoYeAh yes, i understand that. It's one thing losing a match to see your rival relegated but actively wanting your team to miss out on a title? That's no supporter.

[@realzhella6817]

As the sole Indian on the planet who probably supports leverkusen im happy that we might finally win the league. Ive been supporting this team since i was like 10 watching them on a dusty tv in Dubai and this is finally a dream come true

[@mustafam3285]

Good for you man! I love how people can fall in love with clubs that are not overly popular.

[@simba3610]

You're definitely not the only one nowadays. Maybe before Alonso came in you were

[@fz7788]

Sorry beat you to it

[@jpl6037]

❤️🖤

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

There's a danish side which has ONE Japanese fan!!! Occasionally he's given plane tickets. Maybe Leverkusen could ,...

[@michaelballack3051]

Thanks for jinxing it dude

[@johnofthesouth5425]

Superstitious much??

[@davidelfrosty275]

lol u were right

[@deepakrao5553]

There was such a prediction made when leipzig were on the top in 2017 I guess but the problem with other teams is they cannot hold on to the top spot

[@spinningcuckdick]

2017 Leipzig was unstoppable...such a shame they couldn't win the Bundesliga with that squad.

[@mumenraider]

Same with Union Berlin last season

[@krusher181]

What’s incredible is that Leverkusen have held on this long.

[@joelmacinnes2391]

​@@krusher181more to the point they haven't looked challenged, they came from behind against Leipzig, dropped points to dortmund and stutgard back to back but other than that they've been winning games like it's a formality

[@egg_roblox4492]

yesterdays match against leipzig just proved their depth. they have hincapie and jonathan tah who are very good and helped leverkeusen make them comeback (3 - 2) with one goal a piece. Frimpong was also injured but tella did nearly as good and also scored

[@hsvpml]

As someone who watches all Bundesliga Games, someone who isnt mentioned enough in all these Videos about Leverkusen is Palacios. Absolute World Class this Season and the perfect example of a player that is extremely reliable in passing, but also with a great defensive work rate and an incredible amount of posessions won. Also incredible mental. In my opinion he is the most crucial Element to Alonsos Squad

[@niksfuerungut]

The video gives the vibe that Bayern Munich is not performing. Which (beside their Cup loose against a minor league team) is just not true. Munich only had better seasons when they broke every record under Pep. Their avg. Points this season is the 4th highest ever. Their are playing a very solid season even for Munich standards. It's just that Leverkusen is atm just incredibly good.

[@Jalex0021]

Exactly. It will be a miracle if Leverkusen are able to continue their excellent form with so many players out, whilst Bayern are only likely to get stronger from here. They have the deeper squad and players that have won this league many times before, after all.

[@ruhri0411]

Hold my Bremen 😂

[@user-fr2jc8xb9g]

I checked the cup results sometime ago and seems that sarrebruck the team that eliminated bayern also eliminated frankfort as well , they might make it to the final despite being 4th devision...pretty cool!

[@Nutzer11]

@@Jalex0021 Just lost to Bremen at home lol

[@707.i]

Who’s here after Leverkusen won the league?

[@pyewaw]

😅

[@mralexisg5031]

Actually they’re called Vizekusen, a play on Vize, in English Vice and the Kusen from their name, because they came in 2nd in all competitions they participated in in 2002

[@cvnsz]

Leverkusen is not called Neverkusen, they are called Vizekusen in Germany which can be translated as Runnerup-kusen because they always are close to win a trophy but are not able to win it. Like the 2001/02 season where they lost two finals, the cup final and the cl final. And they lost the bundesliga with one point to rivals dortmund.

[@jacklowe3037]

I’ll see how they do in this afcon period without Boniface, Tapsoba and kossounou who are some of there key players. But they have a good chance.

[@seppokuusinen8595]

How on earth did they miss that? They also pronounced some of the players’ names wrong, like Hradecky. Tifo’s quality is usually better.

[@changename5088]

Well, with the way the ivory coast played today, Koussounou will be back in Leverkusen in no time.

[@donmathew4152]

Leverkusen: *beats Bayern 3-0* Algorithm: WHY BAYERN MIGHT LOSE BUNDESLIGA

[@ahmadzulkhairieamran3496]

Because its gonna happen broooooo

[@timliu4028]

Bayern fan here, seeing Leverkusen perform like this is awesome which makes the league more competitive which makes us more competitive throughout the season. With that being said, they need to keep this momentum in the final stages, and with how young this team is, idk if I see it happening. Dortmund have had so many points leading into the final day and still choked it…

[@freeassange7122]

1:09 "Leverkusen were arguably the better team and unlucky not to win" That's not true. They drew the game after a very lucky penalty in the last minute.

[@DaGhost141]

yeah, at the start of Tuchels career they were kings of giving penalties away, it was wild. Luckily they've stopped that since then.

[@The18thAnniversary]

That was clearly a penalty, clumsy Davis needs to watch his feet

[@HT3897]

When you watch leverkusen, not 90 mins but they give a pep team vibes, Alonso will be a great manager and hope he will win the title

[@davinnicode]

Leverkusen always had talented players, a top tier youth level and great scouting. However, they have always lacked consistency, a decent ambition and luck with manager appointments. Although they are generally pretty open to new more riskful manager options, it always felt strange how they went on about it: One time they would hire an upcoming manager who showed success only over a short period in the second division and another time they would hire a former player with a big name but without any coaching experience or a former assistant manager to be their first team manager. If one has followed German football for a longer period you would always sense that Leverkusen just need a good manager to really compete with the top teams. The Alonso move can be sorted in to the same category but this time it really pays off for them. Hopefully, he will stay for a few more years. Leverkusen always played one of the most attractive football in Germany and Alonso is doing just that.

[@bigfudge2031]

The reason Xavi Alonso is having success as a coach unlike his English counterparts is because he put in a lot of the hard time before becoming a head coach, instead of just being handed a job because of his name.

[@stephendenis3855]

editors are so good on this channel

[@solidgod1093]

They are effectively 1 point ahead (not 4) given Bayern has had to move one game due to excessive snow. My best guess is that Bayern will (as always) win as they are more consistent and have a deeper bench

[@raheem201231]

4 points. It’s not an automatic win for Bayern.

[@solidgod1093]

@@raheem201231 4 points but 1 less game played. Let’s speak again after next Wednesday when they have their replacement game but they are playing a bottom of the league team…

[@rohith5482]

their game in hand is against union berlin plus they will win if they have to play leverkusen from home

[@The1nOnlyJohnDoe]

Bro thought bayern automatically win games😅 Also, they lost to frankfurt 5-1

[@solidgod1093]

@@The1nOnlyJohnDoe well betting quotes currently imply a roughly 85% chance of a win vs Berlin, which makes stating there is an effective 1 point difference more accurate than saying there is a 4 point difference while ignoring this game that’s yet to be played in my book. Also Frankfurt has been their only loss in the league this season and they are actually a decent team

[@geenkaas6380]

Well they have lost it

[@anthonyagard7607]

Who is coming here after Bayer Leverkusen beat Bayern Munich 3 0?

[@mmaforever594]

Bayern will still win it' it's bound to happen

[@anthonyagard7607]

@@mmaforever594 I don't think so.

[@mmaforever594]

@@anthonyagard7607 still plenty of games left to play bro there's allways a good chance to bottle it

[@thedudelebowski8529]

​@@mmaforever594nope.

[@shurikenzfrenzy3651]

Leverkusen just beat Bayern 3-0 lol

[@sagarkumarchowdhury9537]

It is more about Leverkusen going into 2009 Barca mode.

[@oKnuTo]

the fact that leverkusen is 14-3-0 and its not clear cut that they will win the titel is insane. they are on pace to play a 90 Points season in a 18 team league. same pace in a 20 team league nets to 100.5 points. Bayern and Bayer are currently as consitnat as liverpool and city where in that season where liverpool placed second with 98points.

[@giftmokaba4127]

Turns out the curse was not Spurs…it was Harry Kane💀

[@MaliceMajorE15]

Good Video- Please note that Granit Xhaka was not a free transfer

[@Nonixification]

This video is like a fine old wine.

[@sunflowersamurai10]

The title and thumbnail, perfect comedic delivery 🤌🏿

[@Yung_Tubz]

Signing Eric Dier will do that to you 😂

[@Avalon_1991]

After signing Dier that Spiderman meme: "You know what, double the Tottenham"

[@thedriversclub1715]

here after Bayern's loss yesterday🥰🥰

[@user-vf7su5de3h]

The music in your video makes your video fancy and excellent

[@Soulcalbiur1123]

My one complaint is bruvo said “Bayern will act swiftly in the winter market” all we’ve done is sign Dier, at this rate Bayerns season and streaks are over. Thank you Tuchel! I loved what happened at Chelsea and wanted Bayern to experience it as well!

[@robertocioffi2523]

For real. People are blaming Kane but Tuchel is a fraud

[@Soulcalbiur1123]

@@robertocioffi2523 tuchel has let us down badly. I had hoped that it was just a Chelsea thing but after watching how Bayerns play has progressed we were better with Julian.

[@robertocioffi2523]

@@Soulcalbiur1123 yeah, i am a fan of Nagelssman. Bayern conceded way less goals with him

[@ecobost]

The most important transfer is the one they didn't make. Without Wirtz they would have close to no chance.

[@HadagHDx]

Actually they got him from Cologne youth, so you could argue it was a transfer

[@LesterLinks]

Cause Kane is there😂😂

[@NiklasLuger6]

And now Dier too

[@phirus646]

From the title I was afraid this video was about Bayern's shortcomings, but they aren't playing a bad season. They are in fact playing a great season, maybe even one of their best. But Leverkusen is just so much stronger this year

[@thedarklordtiberius642]

This hits harder after Leverkusen demolished Bayern 3:0

[@Samelamers]

Rofles their sporting director deserve props he knows football really well.

[@jamnewt7338]

So they’re the German spurs, ironically now beating Kane in the league

[@peterngetich4477]

TIFO is the best football coverage channel with indept analysis, can't wait for the next video. Kuddos

[@miswardi938]

granit xhaka has been one of my favourites since day 1, underrated midfielder

[@blackout995]

You can take a man out of Tottenham, but you can't take the Tottenham out the man 😭

[@DavidLimofLimReport]

Because kane brought the Tottenham curse

[@rmnstr604]

We have all seen this before. Some side challenges Bayern , Bayern second or third at christmas time. But at the end of the season Bayern is once again the champion.

[@gunterleba]

Bayern are now 7 Points behind Leverkusen

[@taylormonroe8614]

This video didn’t actually explain why Bayern might lose the Bundesliga: it simply explained how Xabi Alonso reshaped Leverkusen into a contender. No mentioning of Bayern’s squad being the thinnest it’s ever been, no mentioning of Bayern selling & loaning more players out during the summer than signings made, no mentioning of Tuchel’s tactics or chemistry with the team/board, and no mentioning of Bayern and Leverkusen both competing in Europe, where one has faced zero competition and the other doubled United and Galatasaray while becoming the first team in years to beat Copenhagen away in Europe.

[@Iron-Bridge]

Just when you think Kane and Dier are about to have a league title on their C.V. Still early days though.

[@kukunase1686]

even if they dont this season they will next season

[@siphemngxunyeni9493]

This is aging like fine wine, seeing that Bayern just lost 3 nil to Leverkusen🤣

[@axelmuller4341]

0:50 They are referred to as "Vizekusen" here in Germany, because of the 1999/2000 Season where they were 3 Points up before Matchday 34 and still ended up second ("Vizemeister") among other things because of an owngoal of Michael Ballack. The Bayer AG even registered the term "Vizekusen" as a protected trademark.

[@farhantalukder]

ay im glad this channel still called tifo

[@sarathguttikonda4065]

Never write off Bayern until either it was mathematically not possible to win or the last minute of the last match of the season .The last time a team other than bayern won was dortmund and that was my first season watching Bundesliga. Even i want Leverkusen to win but bayern are in these situations many times and know how to step up at the right time

[@ahmadzulkhairieamran3496]

Are they step up? Now its supposedly the right time. Are you still cooking on munich winning the league

[@michaelcorcoran1011]

And they go onto loss to Bremen today😮😮

[@inhumanunion1223]

After this weekend, this is seeming likely

[@tomasschmidt9086]

Palacios is one of the best in the Bundesliga, being not only essential to Leverkusen style but also being incredibly clutch. So underrated!!

[@AbidShadhin]

Leverkusen, Girona winning the league is the story we need right now, but also harry kane deserves his trophies🥲

[@hughjanus5093]

This year is shaping up to be a historic one like 2004. Now we just need someone like PSV to win the champions league and Turkey to win the Euro 😂😂

[@kaastue]

Girona is a City fotball group club, so I don't know if them winning makes me feel any better about the future of football.

[@user-il2nm5fj9e]

Who cares about him?! Leverkusen must win this year

[@AbidShadhin]

@@user-il2nm5fj9e I care that's why I said

[@100sky3]

Exactly, more people need to be made aware of this......they're hardly Union Berlin. Villarreal winning La Liga would be the fairytale. @@kaastue

[@LetsPlayCrazy]

You actually think Vizekusen will stay on course? :'D Let me take you younglings back in time! If you don't remember the '99/'00 league, you might not know why any german already knows how this duel will go with a VERY good chance. (I'd say >80% that leverkusen blows it again...) there simply isn't anyone as consistent as bayern... sad as that is.

[@rainerbloedsinn430]

Bayern's only showing consistency at their training grounds for now. Their game lately seems quite uninspired compared to others

[@ahmadzulkhairieamran3496]

Hey old man, are they blowing it? Is munich are consistent? Tell me how many vizekusen lose, how many munich lose? So consistent right? VERY good chance right? Sad as that is

[@khanyamosetlhi2530]

Releasing this before Bayern go on to lose a game is great timing

[@LameLoura]

Bro. Your thumbnails is fv*king savage.

[@TyrionCypher]

If Bayern doesn’t win this year, they win next year. They are doing just as well in the league as the previous seasons and much better than last season. What Leverkusen are doing so far ist just extraordinary and I hope they keep going.

[@Nutzer11]

No, the Kane curse just needs to continue. The meme-world needs it😂

[@_eliteblazin8765]

Question to the german Leverkusen fans here. I thought the Leverkusens nickname was Vice-kusen?!"Vizekusen". Here it was translated to Neverkusen 🙂

[@robs257]

in germany u say vizekusen in england you say neverkusen i guess because of translation.

[@_eliteblazin8765]

cheers @@robs257

[@Jonas-nz7er]

In germany Leverkusen is referred to as Vizekusen, for always coming second.

[@LUFC273]

Its 19 games in and Bayern are 2 points behind, never known a season to be finished after 19 games

[@sun2020able]

well said. Bayern have less pressure and they have a reliable Kane

[@thomasfriesejr.9198]

I hope Xabi stays for a few more years. He can move to Liverpool whenever Klopp retires.

[@phanthomzm]

Probably going to madrid when ancelotti leaves

[@amrelarcher8990]

Madrid seems more and more likely. They could have went for Zidane instead of extending Ancelotti but the extension seems to be an indication that they’re willing to wait how Xabi pans out before deciding between Xabi and Zidane.

[@lucas_dr3]

@@phanthomzmgoing to Bayern this summer when Tuchel gets sacked

[@thomasfriesejr.9198]

@@phanthomzm yeah, you're probably right. Ancelotti is closer to the end of his career, so the timing makes more sense.

[@yazadolan3081]

As a LFC fan, I would love for Xabi to go and manage Liverpool once Klopp goes, though Madrid seems to be the likely destination. He will be surely be given time to rebuild at Liverpool if he comes in, while Madrid fans are fickle and would quickly asking for his resignation once things go bad.

[@uncreative5766]

How sustainable is Bayer's transfer model? The idea of developing young players, selling them off for millions of pounds/euros, and then rinse and repeat happened at Southampton. Southampton eventually ran out of steam. How long can Bayer realistically expect to keep that going before they have to evolve and adapt, regress, or worse, relegated.

[@MacHoodio]

I mean Leverkusen are historically a much bigger and successful team than Southampton. They are pretty much always in Europe and often in the champions league. So they will probably regress but nowhere near relegation considering the way the club is run. Schalke caused their own downfall. I hope they win it this year and the europa league.

[@jdogg448]

​@@MacHoodioYet when xabi Alonso came in they were in the relegation zone?

[@MacHoodio]

@@jdogg448 yea early in the season, they still had a great squad and were never gonna get relegated. In the same way that lyon and ajax weren't either.

[@StillAwesome21]

​@@jdogg448 Yeah, but no where near in the state that Schalke was, not even close. No one thought Leverkusen was going down that year.

[@MichaelGGarry]

How else can a football club hope to exist without sugar daddies? Everyone has to try and exist the same way.....

[@clickbait6646]

Here after leverkusen secured the title, it's ridiculous

[@robwyyi]

Last match suggest with out Wirtz on pitch Leverkusen is lost creatively. After Wirtz got sub in 2nd half all metric improved. Just enough for win Wirtz wasn’t involved with winning goal but with him all metrics improved. Having one player be so central your holding your breath many of times. Not being able to rest him could turn into injury. Have chance with, without him no chance.

[@Caoimhin1909]

I'm extraordinarily petty in that I'm not sure I want Leverkusen to win the league after Dortmund bottled it last season, as it'll be more embarrassing for us. Saying that, obviously good for the league, and the memes of Harry Kane will be endless.

[@dontmindme6995]

tbf you were so close last season because Bayern were so bad, not because you were good. You also were extremely dependent on Bellingham which shows this season. Not saying that as a rival fan, because competitively speaking were not anymore

[@Caoimhin1909]

@@dontmindme6995 It was definitely a mixture, as cliché as it sounds. Our Rückrunde was very good, though we were only on the front foot because Bayern faltered. Bellingham also wasn't that good after January. His explosive form in Madrid has been completely unexpected.

[@dontmindme6995]

@@Caoimhin1909 it was unexpected that he would become such a scoring machine, but he was still doing absolutely everything at Dortmund, just from a deeper role. Sure Malen, Haller, Hummels, Brandt and especially Kobel were fantastic, but without Bellingham you would have been in a fight for the champions league places, not for the title

[@crexLive]

The core of the video (0:35) is based on a wrong premise: Leverkusen is NOT leading the Bundesliga by 4 points yet. As the table at 0:17 shows, Bayern played 1 game less. If they win in that game against Union, which is expected, then Leverkusen is leading the league by 1 point. To speak about "can Leverkusen hold on to their lead" at that point is nothing but clickbait, because it's literally a 1 game result which can change the outcome. Anything can happen since both teams will play each other one more time. You lost me there cause the video appears to be very clickbaity and simply factually wrong.

[@MichaelGGarry]

They clearly are leading by 4 points though. Spare games still need to be won.....

[@Marc-vk7rl]

Boy, do I have news for you

[@achimsinn6189]

Also in the season where they lost all 3 titles in the last match which was the origin for the name neverkusen they were leading after the first half of Bundesliga as well and despite being unbeaten Bayern is still on thier tails with 4 less points but also one less match played.

[@harleymilner3189]

Remiscent of napoli being the almost team for years, Liverpool likewise, when Leverkusen do it, it will have to be momentus, historic, and emphatic

[@footballforlife09]

They should have lost it last season!! BVB 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@gilbertmacnaughton4763]

Can’t stand Spurs, but if they have to win the premier league once in my lifetime, it would be hilarious for them to win it this year while Bayern don’t win the bundesliga

[@TigerStripy-oz3hy]

All the top clubs keep bottling it when they are top, Man City have De Bruyne back for the 2nd half of the season, Man City will do it again unfortunately.

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Feels weird hearing Seb mentioned simply as "The Athletic's Seb Stafford Bloor"

[@deanVodkahouse]

10 Feb, put the date in your diary, it's the day of Leveruksen v Bayern funnily enough Madrid v Girona is on the exact same date and at the exact same time 17:30 GMT! I'm English, and I love keeping an eye on foreign teams, I'll be watching Leverkusen as I voted them the most exciting team in Europe with Girona being second

[@ascarby]

shows how underrated Granit Xhaka is. Miss him at Arsenal, we don't play with the same fluency.

[@YS-xi1cs]

Why? Because of one good season, what about when he threw the shirt and flipped everyone no? Or how he would get send off in crucial games no oh right that was him showing passion.....forget everything he did right? .....

[@ascarby]

@@YS-xi1cs his role evolved and his mentality improved. He also found a specific role and wasn't playing in such defensive positions. It's clear from this season in the Bundesliga that it wasn't just 'one good season' and that would have continued. Would much rather have him than Kai Havertz.

[@haristaletovic2703]

The god old days when Bundesliga was having Wolfsburg, Borussia D. as the winners, it was worth watching and it was equal to PL and LL, but since that the league has lost any sense of excitment, this season can be a crucial, with another title for Bayern, I really hope that they will start falling deeply and deeply.

[@TigerStripy-oz3hy]

Bayern Munich are a great club though, you can't hate them like a Man City or Plastic S G, or Chelski.

[@haristaletovic2703]

@@TigerStripy-oz3hy Man City and Chelsea were born much before Bayern, so they cannot be "plastic clubs', the fact that none of them don't have a monopoly over league which is not the case with Bayern is additional reason to love them.

[@jakkaxn5513]

@@haristaletovic2703born before bayern😭. Bayern wasn’t even the best club in Munich when they started back in the day😭. Those who don’t know anything about football talking about bayern so funny to me.

[@Hentzau.]

​@@haristaletovic2703 Did Bayern need Oil money to win all those trophies? Your logic is dead.

[@unknown3158]

@@Hentzau.No, but they needed money, regardless of where it came from. And they bought out the competition, which is even worse,

[@unknown_558]

pls make a new video with the 3:0 update

[@DerUnhold]

There are 4 Players from Leverkusen who are at the Africa Cup: Boniface, Kossounou , Tapsoba and Adli

[@krisven01]

In the h2h this season Leverkusen were lucky not to lose, they were given a very soft penalty in extra time. Stop the lies. Leverkusen didn't dominate the game, it was a close game but saying Leverkusen were the better side it's a lie to fit the narrative!

[@jesseseifert7995]

Absolutely right. Strange lie in the first place, they can still make the video without that false claim

[@madeupstory9510]

Well, the penalty is arguable but Munich wasn't the better. They were level in almost every stat. But Leverkusen players have had better rating by many websites. Many were 7.4 vs 7.0. I don't think that they were lying, they were just lazy.

[@DaxRaider]

neverkusen is a horrible trtanslation for vizekusen which means "second kusen" basicly as a big football fan i never heared of neverkusen that doesnt exist in germany xD

[@csolivais1979]

Another commenter said that the Neverkusen is used in England.

[@matthewrybicki5926]

Imagine coming back to this video after the season ends and Leverkusen actually won it

[@GazH-zc7jj]

It's going to come down to when leverkusen play bayern, if they keep mirroring each other that game will be winner takes all, leverkusen this season reminds me of Leicester city the year they won the prem, play well with a bit of good fortune and luck, got to give kudos to alonso.

[@akashdeb5201]

Any other season and I would have wished ardently for Bayern to lose. But Harry Kane not winning a title for so long puts me in a dilemma...

[@TigerStripy-oz3hy]

Gerrard never got one, yet he won a few trophies, Kane has got runners up medals....

[@RespecterAlexander]

Don’t underestimate Neverkusen’s ability to give up trophies

[@itstonimate8964]

Actually they're called "Vizekusen" which could better be translated as " secondkusen". Beside that, great video as always :)

[@piekay7285]

Neverkusen and Vizekusen are two different nicknames. Vizekusen is only known in Germany

[@failedrift]

Saw them for the first time against RB Liepzig. The goals they conceded were from hilariously casual defending but as an attacking unit they are the most enjoyable I've seen in Europe. Florian Writz is the real deal.

[@BladimirButin]

Because Tapsoba and Kossounou their two main defenders are at the African cup of nations

[@dual8387]

2008 - Spurs win their last important title 2008 - Kane joins Spurs 08' - present - Spurs bottle UCL final, 15/16 PL, etc. 2023 - Bayern clinch a title 2023 - Kane joins Bayern 23' - present - Bayern on risk of losing the league for the first time since the 11/12 season I'm starting to think that Kane was the curse all along.

[@ksquare1466]

They didn't "bottle" the UCL final or the 15/16 season. They were beaten to both by better teams in those moments.

[@awesomepotato4499]

And now Spurs is looking scary without Kane... He was the curse all along

[@randomperson9732]

You guys are so clueless it's almost funny. "Werkself" doesn't mean Factory football club at all, but Worker's eleven, because the club was started by the EMPLOYEES. In the H2H, Leverkusen were the lucky ones, thanks to the soft pen they goy at the end. And finally, Bayern are weak? If they win their game in hand, they're ONE point behind Leverkusen with a better GD.

[@tusia3899]

I think it was 2019/20 season that Bayern started off pretty poorly (being around 6th-7th in the beginning of December if I remember correctly?), yet they still won the title in the end. It's clear that the title is meant to be clickbaity, and a lot of tifo's videos have those kinds of titles lately. I understand why, but it always seems kind of biased against big teams. Like, Bayern can be 2nd in the league and still overall have a much better chance at winning the thing than Leverkusen. It's weird that they couldn't just make a video focused on Leverkusen and the fact they're doing well without all the "Bayern won't win this year" shtick

[@hrodebrt]

Am I wrong in comparing this to when Ronaldo went to Juve? His personal numbers were great but everyone else dropped off significantly and the team just looked like it had never played together. Obviously I don't think Kane is to blame but idk just feels like a very similar kind of situation.

[@grapeappletwist]

Man Kane somehow still gets blamed and Tucheliban continues to escape it. Very weird narrative.

[@Pal_edits]

Here after bayern won Bundesliga

[@godlovesusall8115]

Don't lie to the future people dude, you posted this 35 minutes after the upload 😂

[@rajghoderao]

​@@godlovesusall8115do you understand a joke

[@rainerbloedsinn430]

didn't age well my guy

[@sameerk7151]

and the reason is . . harry kane

[@danohof]

I'm a massive Bayern fan but cannot understand Tuchels appointment, if Bayern were to win the title again it would be yet another case of the team winning in spite of a mediocre manager, he has no original ideas . So far Leverkusen are way more deserving of the title, they are so much more innovative and exciting to watch!

[@hollins625]

Nice video. Leverkusen are on an all time run and still only slightly above Bayern. How likely is it that they just continue like this and get nearly 90 points?