Page 62 - Soccer360 Issue 104

FIRSTCLASS
WIRTZ
FLORIAN WIRTZ HASN’T HAD THE EASIEST START TO
HIS CAREER, BUT THE YOUNG GERMAN STAR IS GETTING NOTICED THANKS TO HIS EXCELLENT SHOWINGS FOR BAYER LEVERKUSEN. MICHELLE OSEI BONSU PROVIDES A PROFILES THE PLAYMAKER AND ASKS IF HE CAN HELP DIE WERKSELF CHALLENGE FOR THE BUNDESLIGA TITLE THIS SEASON.
“FLORIAN WIRTZ HAS SHOWN GREAT FORTITUDE -ATSUCHA YOUNG AGE”
The German youngster’s standout performances for Bayer Leverkusen have caught the imagination.
What a difference one season can make. At the start of the 2022- 23 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer Leverkusen were floundering, with die Werkself in fact flirting with and even dropping into the relegation zone at various points under Gerardo Soane. Eventually, the club’s leadership decided
to call time on Soane’s career, but surprised many when they opted to bring in Xabi Alonso as his replacement.
Although the Spaniard had certainly won plenty of plaudits during his time as a player, he was largely untested at the highest level as a manager and with the Bayer Leverkusen in such dire straits, there were doubts over his lack of coaching experience. The Alonso experiment, as we all know, by far exceeded expectations on all fronts. Leverkusen went from barely avoiding the drop zone to finishing in a very respectable sixth place in the Bundesliga. And in Europe, their early exit from
the Champions League turned out not to be such
a bad thing as die Werkself were painfully close to making it to the Europa League final, only to be narrowly beaten 1-0 by Roma on aggregate. Heading into his first full season with the club, Alonso will have been keen on showing that the team’s revival was more than just a mere stroke
of luck. So far, the Spanish tactician has certainly made a strong case for this, as Leverkusen have made an excellent start to the 2023-24 campaign and are currently one of the teams viewed as serious contenders for the Bundesliga title.
Of course, Bayern Munich will always have something to say about that, but for Leverkusen fans and quite a few neutrals, all will be hoping that this season’s title race will actually be a multi-party affair as opposed to the one-horse predictable result that has plagued the Bundesliga for over a decade.
DID YOU KNOW ?
Munich’s Thomas Mueller celebrates during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich
Dortmund’s Mats Hummels in action
FAST KLASSIKER GOALS
After 8:18 minutes, FC Bayern took the earliest two-goal lead in a “Klassiker” between Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga since April the 13th 2008, when FCB also led 2-0 after just 7:37 minutes (final score 5-0).
ALOT OF KLASSIKERS
Mats Hummels played 28 Klassikers in the Bundesliga (22 for Dortmund, 6 for Bayern), he will surpass the record of Michael Zorc for the most appearances in this fixture in the competition if he plays in the next meeting between the two sides in March, 2024.
OFF THE WOODWORK!
The encounter between 1. FC Heidenheim and VfB Stuttgart was the first Bundesliga match in just under five years to see the woodwork hit on five occasions (December 2018: Hoffenheim vs. Mainz also five).
TEN YEARS
Gregor Kobel is the first BVB goalkeeper to save a Bundesliga penalty in 10 years, with Roman Weidenfeller the last to do in October 2013 against Schalke. They’d conceded 36 of 37 spot kicks (1 missed) in between.
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BUNDESLIGA SPOTLIGHT