Red and black stand out on the gray Sunday morning in Freiburg. Dressed in Bayer Leverkusen t-shirts and scarves, dozens of fans walk before the game in the drizzle through the old town next to the cathedral and its particular bächle, streams that run along the side of the streets of the German city. One more movement, they accompany en masse – about 3,800 – the outsider club of European football, the fashionable team that overwhelms Germany and excites fans like never before in its 120 years of history.
The derisive nickname of Neverkusen seems to have an expiration date. If until now the 1988 UEFA victory against Espanyol and a German Cup were the only trophies that were displayed in their showcases – in addition to countless runners-up finishes – everything indicates that when the current season ends in the city of North Rhine-Westphalia there will be make room, at least, for one more title. And it will be thanks, in large part, to Xabi Alonso. “We would never have imagined something like this when he arrived. "We were second to last!" Rudi, a fan staying a few meters from the Leverkusen concentration hotel, is still surprised. 17 months in the elite have been enough for the Tolosarra to earn respect as a coach. In fact, the aspirin team – founded by workers from the pharmaceutical company Bayer – was in seventeenth position when in October 2022 it received a call from Barcelona-born Fernando Carro, general director of the entity for six years. A bet that could be considered risky due to the delicate situation of the club and Alonso's short experience on the bench (Real Madrid youth team and Real Sociedad reserve team). “It was an option for the future that we were already considering. He convinced us with his experience as a player, his leadership capacity and his clairvoyance about the football he wants. There was chemistry from the first meeting,” Carro, architect of the project along with Simon Rolfes, former club player and sports director, explains to La Vanguardia. Alonso took with him only his right-hand man, Sebas Parrilla. The rest of the coaching staff – among which are the Spaniards Alberto Encinas and Ismael Camenforte, with a past at La Masia – were already at the entity. “We like the coaches to integrate into the club and that means assuming part of the professional structure that already exists,” argues Carro. Alonso's arrival took effect immediately. The team finished sixth and was on the verge of the Europa League final. But the best was yet to come.
It has been months since the leadership of the Bundesliga that it has held since the first days ceased to be a surprise. According to Carro, his impact “has to do with the impact of a figure of his level and undoubtedly with the sporting results, which make him even greater and international.” Leverkusen is a solid team with its own identity, the only unbeaten team in Europe in all competitions. With eight days left, he takes ten points off Bayern, champion of the last eleven leagues. The Bavarians, irregular, try to put pressure, so far without success. Freiburg was a dangerous place for Die Werkself (the company's eleven). At the Europa-Park stadium Bayern had dropped a couple of points at the beginning of the month. Freiburg (9th) is not a lesser team, leaving three days before the Europa League, a competition in which Leverkusen miraculously continues. That same Thursday they turned the score around against Qarabag with two goals from Schick in added time (3-2) to get into the quarterfinals.
The physical and emotional exhaustion of the magical night at the BayArena did not weigh too much. The Czech returned to victory with the third goal in Freiburg (2-3). Before, youngsters Wirtz (20) and Hložek (21) scored; the first after pulling a beautiful thread out of his hat in the minute and a half of play, while the second took advantage of an indecision by the rival goalkeeper forced by the leaked ball from Wirtz – the jewel of this team – to Álex Grimaldo. The left-footed winger with the soul of a playmaker is another of the club's great joys. The Blaugrana youth squad arrived for free last summer from Benfica. Since January there has also been another Spaniard: Borja Iglesias. One more day, Alonso's team extended the record of matches without losing in Germany (26). The balance in all competitions is 33 wins and 5 draws. Goal scoring, widely distributed, is another of the team's great virtues, with an average of 2.9 goals per game – three goals or more in 22 of the 38 games. Many of those victories were achieved in the final stretch, with 20 goals from the 80th minute onwards, translating into many points. “The transformation process of this team has been incredible. In addition to an attractive game, Xabi Alonso has been able to implement the winning mentality that defined him as a footballer,” says Phillip Arens, a Bild journalist who has been covering the club's news for more than 15 years. And he presents a revealing fact to illustrate the change of chip: “Before his arrival the team had missed seven of the last eight penalties. With him they have transformed all the launches.”
April will be a decisive month. The effort of being alive in three competitions – they are also in the semi-finals of the German Cup, with rivals from lower divisions – is compensated by the excitement of the moment. Enjoying the journey will pay off. Barring a catastrophe, 31 years of drought will end. What will happen after lifting a trophy? Greats like Liverpool or Bayern, his former teams, have a vacancy on the bench. The noise is inevitable. “He is one of the best coaches. It is a great satisfaction to have him and I think the feeling is mutual, because he also values the project and club he is in,” says Carro.
