I’ll leave you with Jonathan Liew’s match report from the BayArena. Goodnight!
“I can hear it, Rob: The Clamour,” says Charles Antaki. “It was pretty loud to start with, but as the wins pile up for Xabi Alonso, it’s starting to get deafening – a mix of yearning, desperation and a touch of guilt at looking at the new squeeze before the old one is even out of the door. Surely, if he’s sensible, Alonso will let some else drink from the poisoned chalice before coming in later as Renewed Hope?”
The thing in his favour with Liverpool, aside from the obvious, is that Jurgen Klopp has inadvertently started to build an Alonso-friendly squad by slashing the average age and having more ball-players in midfield. But I suspect Alonso will do at least another year at Leverkusen, whether they win the league or not.
The key stats
Every now and then, there are truths, blessed truths and statistics. These tell the story of the game perfectly.
Possession: Leverkusen 38-62 Bayern
Shots on target: Leverkusen 8-1 Bayern
Expected Goals: Leverkusen 1.76-0.27 Bayern
Actual Goals: Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern
The Bundesliga table
Leverkusen may finally be about to exorcise all those turn-of-the-century ghosts. If they do, it’ll be the time for a whole lot more than wine and cigarettes.
There’s long way to go, I know, but that was about as emphatic as counter-attacking victories get. It’s also so impressive that an idealist like Alonso was prepared, so early in his career, to go against his tiki-taka principles if it meant winning such a vital game.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 21 | 41 | 55 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 21 | 37 | 50 |
| 3 | Stuttgart | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| 4 | Borussia Dortmund | 21 | 17 | 40 |
| 5 | RB Leipzig | 21 | 18 | 37 |
This is so good. Look at Xabi Alonso! How can he be so understated? If I’d masterminded that victory I’d have been off down the touchline, top off, before the ball had hit the net.
WOW JEREMIE FRIMPONG THAT IS INCREDIBLE! 🤯🤩 pic.twitter.com/RB5hJJ8g4l
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 10, 2024
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Full time: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich
Blimey.
What a goal from Jeremie Frimpong! The Leverkusen players are all going mad on the touchline, though their manager Xabi Alonso is still strolling round with the same joie de vivre as Tim from The Office. On the surface, anyway: inside he must be dancing like never before.
Manuel Neuer went up for a corner, as is his wont, and was out of his goal when Leverkusen broke. Frimpong still had so much to do – he dribbled away from Guerreiro but was forced really wide on the right, 45 yards from goal and with an increasingly narrow angle. No matter: he curled a marvellous first-time shot that beat Sane on the line and nestled in the net.
As Sane hoofed the ball into another postcode and punched the net in frustration, Frimpong charged towards the touchline for the most euphoric bundle of his career to date.
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GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich (Frimpong 90+5)
The final indignity for Bayern!
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90+4 min This game was over the moment Alex Grimaldo made it 2-0. It’s right to be critical of Bayern, but Leverkusen’s defensive performance has been immaculate. Xabi Alonso spent a few years playing under Jose Mourinho; clearly he was listening.
90 min Five minutes of added time. Bayern’s xG is around 0.25, depending which source you look at. It can’t have been that low in a Bundesliga game for years.
90 min: Double substitution for Leverkusen Adam Hlozek and Gustavo Puerta replace Floran Wirtz and the terrific Alex Grimaldo.
90 min Frimpong gets away again after some nice one-touch passing. This time Neuer saves with his legs, though Frimpong was offside.
88 min: Frimpong hits the post! The efficiency of Leverkusen’s counter-attacks is a thing of beauty. A lazy square pass from Kimmich is nicked by Stanisic, in his own half,. and Leverkusen are off again. Stanisic runs 50 yards before pushing the ball outside to Frimpong in the area. His shot ricochets off a stretching Bayern defender and hits the outside of the near post.
87 min If it stays like this Leverkusen will be five points clear with 13 games remaining – and they’ve already played Bayern and Leipzig twice. Their next eight games are all against teams outside the top six.
84 min Kimmich’s corner is headed away to Tel on the edge of the area. He shanks his shot so badly that it goes back out to Kimmich on the right. Kimmich cuts inside and hits an angry shot that is pushed away by Hradecky, and then the flag goes up – Kimmich was offside from Tel’s pass (sic).
83 min: Leverkusen substitution Jonas Hofmann replaces Amine Adli, who wasn’t at his best but worked so hard up front.
Hradecky is booked for taking too long over a goalkick.
82 min: Double substitution for Bayern Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Raphael Guerreiro come on for Jamal Musiala, who was kept eerily quiet, and Sacha Boey.
81 min This is so comfortable for Leverkusen. Hradecky has had only one save to make all night, and Mazraoui’s long-range shot was so tame that you and I would have kept it out.
79 min Kane tries an early shot from the edge of the D. It’s blocked.
77 min Adli is booked for a poor tackle on Kim: studs up into the side of the leg.
76 min A pass from Neuer goes straight out of play. Bayern have been so poor.
73 min Xhaka, who has played very well, pushes a square pass to Frimpong on the edge of the area. He moves outside Kim, his body language full of intent, but drags a cross-shot wide of the far post.
71 min: Bayern substitution Mathys Tel on, Leon Goretzka off.
70 min There’s a bit more urgency from Bayern now, even if it reeks of desperation. Musiala slithers infield and has a shot that is blocked on the edge of the area.
68 min Leverkusen have had 43 per cent of the possession, which would be their lowest of the season. This is not a criticism: so far they’ve done a textbook number on Bayern.
66 min Kane’s cross from the right is half blocked and reaches Sane in the area. He tries to turn away from Tah (I think), who reads it well and pokes the ball behind for a corner.
Updated
65 min: Leverkusen substitution Jeremie Frimpong replaces Nathan Tella, who had a fine game and made the second goal. Stanisic will probably move into midfield.
65 min Tella hits the side netting after yet another superb counter-attack, though he was fractionally offside.
64 min Tapsoba is booked for a tactical foul on Musiala.
63 min: Grimaldo hits the bar from a corner! And I’m pretty sure he meant it. He struck it like a knuckle-ball free-kick, and the ball dipped dramatically to hit the top of the bar with Neuer wondering what the flip was going on. He may have had it covered, though I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
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62 min Goretzka is booked for a foul on Adli. Maybe a bit harsh.
60 min: Bayern substitutions Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich replace Dayot Upamecano and Aleksandar Pavlovic; 4-2-3-1 it is.
59 min The dangerous Tella runs at Kim on the right of the area and cracks a low drive that is comfortably held to his right by Neuer.
59 min Leverkusen have defended really well, and everything about them reeks of quality coaching, but there’s a but coming up. Bayern’s attacking play has been so ponderous, it’s hard to make sense of it.
58 min “It’s not Tuchel,” says Joe Pearson. “It’s the universe having a laugh at Harry Kane. You know it’s true. I wonder if there is a German word about enjoying the pain of others.”
It’ll get even weirder when he wins the European Championship in Germany in the summer.
56 min Bellingol has struck again in Spain, where the would-be disruptors are not having the same success as Leverkusen.
55 min Leverkusen appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Dier’s desperate clearance hits the arm of his team-mate Goretzka. It might have been given in England, because his arm wasn’t in an entirely natural position, but not here.
52 min Mazraoui's cross is volleyed over by his fellow wing-back Boey. He got in front of Tapsoba (I think) on the six-yard line, but was off balance and could only launch the ball skyward.
52 min Xabi Alonso made the surprising decision to start Josip Stanisic and Nathan Tella today. Stanisic scored the first, Tella made the second.
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Alex Grimaldo, one of the players of the season, has swept Leverkusen into a 2-0 lead. It came on the break, of course it did, when Upamecano lost a challenge on the halfway line. Eventually Grimaldo cut inside from the left, played an angled pass back towards Tella and kept running. Tella poked a delicious return pass to release Grimaldo, who allowed the ball to run past his body and lifted an emphatic first-time shot into the net.
"It's all going to plan for Leverkusen!"
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 10, 2024
Grimaldo with a tidy finish! 👏 pic.twitter.com/2p2u9p6rrb
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GOAL! Leverkusen 2-0 Bayern (Grimaldo 50)
Tuchel out!
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48 min “Gotta admire the Bayern board for the mind-bending decision to boot Nagelsmann and hire Tuchel,” says Yash Gupta. “Tuchel has seen this Bayern side lose in four cup competitions and only won Bundesliga because Dortmund handed him the title on the final day of last season. There needs to be a new term coined for this - Tuchelitis.”
"I’m not a Tuchelexpert but that feels a bit harsh. Without wanting to go all win percentage on you, he’s won something like 22 of his 29 league games at Bayern. Take the point about cups but I thought they played really well in the first leg v Man City last season.
46 min Peep peep! Leverkusen begin the second half, with no changes on either side. Yet.
Harry Kane touched the ball eight times in the first half. None of them were memorable.
“Since I’m a Stuttgart fan, I’m nominally a neutral,” writes Kári Tulinius. “But I’m not, I’m desperate for Leverkusen to win. It’s long since started to be soul-sapping to follow German football, and if Bayern make it twelve in a row, the rest of the Bundesliga might as well just pack it up and go home. Or pack Bayern off to the European Super League.”
Twelve years is a long time in football, and much else besides.
Half-time reading
You won’t believe who’s scored.
Half time: Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Bayern Munich
Leverkusen are doing a number on Bayern, who have spent most of the half farting around in possession before being exposed in transition. It was a Bayern player, the on-loan Josip Stanisic, who scored the goal, and Manuel Neuer also had to make good saves from Nathan Tella and Kim Min-Jae.
The xG – Leverkusen 1.14-0.13 Bayern – tells the story of the half. So does the actualG.
45+1 min Two minutes of added time.
45 min Bayern have some good options on the bench – Kimmich, Muller, Tel, Guerreiro. If it stays like this Thomas Tuchel will surely revert to a back four, perhaps as early as half-time. Bayern’s ponderous attacking performance has put the ffs in faffs.
Updated
42 min: Chance for Adli! Xhaka, deep in his own half, waves a lovely ball with the outside of the boot to put Adli clear of the defence. He moves towards goal from the halfway line but is running through treacle and Upamecano - who was originally at fault when he tried to nick the ball on the halfway line – to get back and make a vital tackle on the edge of the area.
41 min Hincapie wanders forward from defence and pings a drive over the bar from 25 yards. Nicely struck, though Neuer had it covered.
37 min The resulting free-kick eventually leads to a towering header from Adli that is comfortably saved by Neuer.
36 min A frustrated Boey stands on Andrich’s boot and is booked. Bayern aren’t playing well.
34 min There’s a break in play while Xhaka receives treatment. We’re seeing replays of Leverkusen’s goal, which actually came from a quick throw-in near the corner flag, not a short corner.
32 min So far this has been a triumph for Xabi Alonso. Leverkusen have had around 40 per cent of the possession, 80 per cent of the shots on target and 100 per cent of the goals.
30 min “Wait a second!” says Joe Pearson. “I thought it was general practice that a player on loan within a league could not play against his parent club. Does it work different in Bundesliga? Apparently.”
Yeah. It used to be different in England too, like when Francis Jeffers kiboshed Arsenal’s title challenge in 2004.
27 min Bayern continue to dominate the ball, but they’ve been all hate and no cattle. Harry Kane has been very quiet.
As I type, Mazraoui cuts inside from right wing-back and curls a tame long-range shot straight at Hradecky.
24 min Sacha Boey ran away from the ball – and Stanisic – just before the goal, a slightly odd bit of defending not dissimilar to Stuart Pearce’s in the Euro 96 semi-final.
23 min Grimaldo’s corner is headed towards goal by Tah and pushed over by Neuer. A comfortable save but a decent effort.
23 min: Good save by Neuer! Leverkusen are hurting Bayern on the break. Hincapie, just past the halfway line, clips a lovely angled pass over the defence towards Tella. His volley on the run is pushed away by Neuer and Wirtz’s follow-up from the edge of the area deflects behind for another corner.
Updated
20 min Just before the goal, Adli was put through after a good Leverkusen break. The ball got stuck under his feet and he was challenged by Kim, who inadvertently poked the ball towards his own goal. Neuer dived to his right to save and the ball was cleared for a corner throw-in by Upamecano
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A corner on the left was taken short to Andrich, who walked away from Sane and drove a low ball across the face of goal. Bayern’s defence were… actually I’ve no idea what they were doing, but they allowed the ball to run beyond the far post to the unmarked Stanisic. He finished calmly and put his arms straight up as if to apologise for scoring.
[Edit: it was a quick throw near the corner flag, not a short corner]
"Bayern fell asleep and Leverkusen took full advantage!"
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 10, 2024
Josip Stanisic with a HUGE goal against his parent club! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1ZgXgtr0LL
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GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Bayern (Stanisic 18)
Never mind that chance: Josip Stainisic has scored against his parent club!
17 nin Bayern are dominating possession, though Leverkusen are okay with that. They look dangerous in transition and have just had another decent chance.
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15 min Pavlovic goes down holding his face after running into Andrich’s shoulder. I say ‘running into’, but Andrich wasn’t exactly averse to the contact. The referee isn’t interested and Pavlovic soon gets to his feet.
13 min Goretzka curls a first-time shot over the bar from the edge of the D after decent play from Sane. It’s very cagey.
11 min The first half chance falls to Leverkusen. With most of the players in the Leverkusen half, Upamecano mishits a weird lobbed pass back towards his own goal. Tella cushions a header into the path of Adli, who rifles a low drive straight at Neuer from the edge of the area.
9 min A hitherto passive Leverkusen pick their moment to press, and Dier has to slide desperately to stop Wirtz nicking the ball off him and moving through on goal. It wasn’t Dier’s fault, really; Goretzka gave him a dodgy pass.
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6 min There’s been an early goal in the match between Real Madrid and Girona. Niall McVeigh is watching that one.
5 min Loads of early possession for Bayern, with Leverkusen sitting surprisingly deep.
2 min As expected, Bayern have homaged Leverkusen’s 3-4-2-1 formation, but Sacha Boey has started at left wing-back with Noussair Mazraoui staying on the right.
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1 min In the words of Etta James, thank eff for that. The match begins around eight minutes after the scheduled start, with Bayern kicking from right to left as we watch.
“When Harry met Xabi,” is the subject of Peter Oh’s email. “Wow, a Bundesliga MBM! To whom do we owe this special treat? A certain Herr Harald Kähn, I presume? No offense to Herr Erich Daier.”
Heh, I reckon we’d have covered this anyway. And in May 2020, the Guardian was Bundesliga central.
The pitch is still being cleared, and the referee has gone across to talk to the two benches.
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0 min In fact the kick off has been delayed: fans have thrown a load of sweets and toy balls onto the field, the latest protest against potential outside investment in the Bundesliga. Good on them.
Free candy all over the field, eh.
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1 min Now is the time for wine and cigarettes football.
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Here come the players. Harry Kane has his game face well and truly applied. This is his biggest club game since the Champions League final of 2019.
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“The mind boggles!” says Joe Pearson. “Two wannabe Leicesters are both facing their main rivals for their respective league titles at the exact same time. Which one should I watch? I certainly think the Alonso angle makes Leverkusen more interesting, so I’m riding with you (apologies to Niall).”
You should follow both – we don’t believe in blogogamy round these parts. (Also, I’m not quite sure Leverkusen are a wannabe Leicester – they’ve been runners-up five times and reached the Champions League final in the wine-and-cigarettes spring of 2002. I can’t think of an English comparison, at least not in my lifetime.)
How Bayern could line up
In fact this formation makes a lot more sense with the XI that Thomas Tuchel has picked.
Bayern Munich (3-4-2-1) Neuer; Upamecano, Dier, Kim, Boey, Pavlovic, Goretzka, Mazraoui; Sane, Musiala; Kane.
Tuchel asked whether it will be a back 3 or back 4 system: "We'll see. I can't say anything now. The game is way too important for that" [@SkySportDE]
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) February 10, 2024
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Jonathan Liew’s preview
Lothar Matthaus’s preview
Team news
Both managers have made interesting choices, which puts them one up on Grady Tripp. Xabi Alonso has picked the young Moroccan striker Amine Adli ahead of Patrick Schick and Borja Iglesias. Nathan Tella, once of Southampton and Burnley, and Josip Stanisic, who is on loan from Bayern, are surprisingly preferred to Jonas Hofmann and Jeremie Frimpong.
Kim Min-jae is back from the Asian Cup and replaces Thomas Muller. That means either Thomas Tuchel will copy Bayer’s 3-4-2-1 formation, or Eric Dier will move into midfield. The new signing Sacha Boey replaces the injured Alphonso Davies, with Noussair Mazraoui moving across to left-back. Joshua Kimmich is fit enough for the bench.
Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1) Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Stanisic, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Adli.
Substitutes: Kovar, Fosu-Mensah, Frimpong, Hofmann, Mbamba, Puerta, Iglesias, Schick, Hlozek.
Bayern Munich (possible 4-2-3-1) Neuer; Boey, Upamecano, Kim, Mazraoui; Dier, Pavlovic; Sane, Goretzka, Musiala; Kane.
Substitutes: Ulreich, De Ligt, Guerreiro, Aznou, Kimmich, Zvonraek, Choupo-Moting, Muller, Tel.
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Preamble
The Guardian understands Xabi Alonso is desperate to succeed Jurgen Klopp. No, not at Anfield, but as the last manager to stop Bayern Munich winning the Bundesliga. Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund were champions in 2011-12, since when Bayern have won 11 titles in a row, many in second gear. Last season they couldn’t even give the thing away.
Dortmund, Bayern’s main challengers in recent years, have often flattered to deceive. Leverkusen could be made of sterner stuff. They haven’t lost a game all season in any competition, and their consistency is such that Bayern’s points total of 50 is a Bundesliga record for a team in second place after 20 games.
A win would put Leverkusen, who have never won the Bundesliga, five points clear with 13 matches to play. Victory for Bayern would put them top, end Leverkusen’s unbeaten run and change the mood of the title race at a stroke.
Kick off 5.30pm BST, 6.30pm in Leverkusen.
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