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It was chaos at the BayArena on Saturday after the referee blew the final whistle. Bayer Leverkusen had hammered Werder Bremen 5-0 to win the league and become Bundesliga champions for the first time in their 120-year history.
What’s more impressive is that they have done it while being unbeaten this season and with five games left. Alonso’s Leverkusen won the League after playing 29 games during which they accrued 79 points; 16 points clear off the runner-up Bayern Munich.
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Leverkusen have won 24, drew 4, and lost zero Bundesliga games so far. They have also scored 74 goals and conceded only 19 giving them the highest goal difference in the league as well (55). The dominant style in which they have won the league and ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year hegemony is just as significant as winning the trophy for the first time in history.
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For the past 11 years, Bayern Munich has won the league dominating the Bundesliga. The only clubs that came close to knocking Bayern off their perch in that time were Dortmund and RB Leipzig and even they couldn’t do it as Bayern always found a way to win. Last season Dortmund looked like they were finally going to win it until they lost the title on the last day of the season. And now, it is Bayer Leverkusen, a club that was named Neverkusen because of their inability to win the league despite coming close so many times that has finally ended Bayern’s 11-year reign at the top of German football; a monumental achievement for Xabi Alonso.
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They have officially ticked off one trophy in their treble chase and have extended their unbeaten run to 43 games but the question people are asking now is if Leverkusen can finish the season unbeaten and win their treble. Their remaining games are sure to be more difficult than the ones played so far, especially outside of the Bundesliga. They still have West Ham to play for the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals and although they’re already leading with two goals from the first leg, anything is possible in the European leagues. In the Bundesliga, they still have to play Dortmund; a big team in Germany that has every possibility of ending Leverkusen’s unbeaten run, and in the DFB-Pokal final they will play FC Kaiserslautern who are 17th in Bundesliga 2; the second-tier of German football. Alonso’s men should triumph but cup finals are always way more intense than regular matches so it’s not quite in the bag for Leverkusen yet.
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They recently got a boost in their attack as their first-choice striker Victor Boniface returned from injury. The Nigerian has already gotten on the score sheet in back-to-back games since his return so if anything, Bayer Leverkusen are actually stronger than they were in all the games they’ve been winning anyway.
Coming off just officially winning the Bundesliga can affect the team’s mentality in two ways; it can either make them relaxed and complacent or it can spur them on to achieve more and keep their streak alive for as long as they can. With Xabi Alonso at the wheel, the latter is likely to be the case. Their dynamic style of play gives them the tools to get the upper hand over any team in the world right now. This Bayer Leverkusen team is one the best in the world right now. They would give Real Madrid and Manchester City a run for their money. They can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world right now.
In conclusion, Bayer Leverkusen have all they need to finish the season undefeated. It won’t be easy, but with the games they’ve played so far and how well they have been playing, it’s definitely possible. All their important players are fit, in form and ready to play. The mentality is high and they have a brilliant coach. Whether they actually achieve this monumental feat remains to be seen. Going unbeaten the entire season automatically means they win both the DFB-Pokal and the Europa League completing the treble which would go down as one of the greatest team and managerial triumphs of all time to the credit of Xabi Alonso. How do you think the rest of the season will pan out for this Bayer Leverkusen team?