Leverkusen embark on new season with wind in their sails

In the dying minutes of the Supercup between Bundesliga and German Cup champions Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart, the Swabians had the upper hand.

Stuttgart, who had surprised everybody with their second-place finish in the Bundesliga last season, were up 2-1. Then, as in so many matches last season, the Werkself saved themselves with yet another last-minute goal.

Patrik Schick was the hero, converting on a pass from Alejandro Grimaldo to even the score just before the final whistle. Leverkusen went on to win the ensuing penalty shootout 4-3 to capture their first silverware of the new season.

'Comeback quality' remains

"It's a clear signal to the other teams that we want to be there again (this season)," said Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky afterwards.

""I'm pleased that we apparently haven't forgotten these late comebacks and didn't leave them lying on the beach somewhere," Hradecky added. "It's still there."

In the 2023-24 season, the double winners scored a total of 18 goals in the 90th minute or later in games in all competitions. No team in any of the top five European leagues was more successful in the dying minutes of matches. Head coach Xavi Alonso's side also became the first team to go unbeaten in an entire Bundesliga season.

The club also set new records off the pitch. In the 2022-23 season, Leverkusen had about 34,000 members. Two years later, this figure has risen to 62,000. Fan merchandise sales have climbed to new dimensions, with sales of the new home jerseys already at four times what they were for the entire 2023-24 campaign.

The Werkself also scored points on social media, increasing their number of followers by 65%.

"Of course, that's something I couldn't have imagined six years ago when I started,' Bayer Leverkusen's managing director, Fernando Carro, told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper.

"We've also done a good job there in recent years, and the sporting success obviously gives us a huge tailwind."

'Neverkusen' no longer

Interest in the club, often derided as "Neverkusen," has increased significantly – and not just at home.

"I observed this when I went on holiday," coach Alonso said.

"Everyone knew Bayer Leverkusen. I was in the Seychelles and everyone knew about the season and what had happened."

Oliver Kahn: 'Bayern will strike back'

Having won their first league title, Bayer Leverkusen enter the new Bundesliga season with the wind in their sails. Whether they can repeat their feats of one year ago remains to be seen.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have brought in a lot of quality on the transfer market and will be aiming to make it as difficult as possible for Leverkusen to defend their title.

"Bayern will do everything they can to become champions again,"Oliver Kahn, the club's former goalkeeper and CEO, told football magazine Kicker.

"Bayern Munich will strike back in the upcoming season."

However, Leverkusen also enter the season as one of the favorites because, apart from Josip Stanisic, who has returned to Bayern Munich after his loan spell ended, the champions have not lost any important players to date – although Jonathan Tah's status remains up in the air. 

Coach Alonso still has key players like Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Hradecky and Robert Andrich at his disposal, and new signings like Aleix Garcia from Girona and Martin Terrier and Jeanuel Belocian from Stade Rennes promise to strengthen the squad. Goal scorers Victor Boniface and Schick – both of whom had been hobbled by injury problems – are fully fit again and ready to cause major headaches for opposition defenders.

Bayer Leverkusen with a 'small advantage'

The adrenalin is back after the Supercup win, said Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes.

"It was important to feel that energy again. It gives us momentum for the next games," the former player said.

While nobody is expecting Leverkusen to go unbeaten in the  34 games of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, the pundits still see them as title contenders once again.

"Just like last year, Bayer have a small advantage over the competition," said former Bayern and Germany player Lothar Matthäus.

"But the new season won't be a walk in the park."

This article was originally published in German.