‘It’s Bayer Leverkusen time’: Alonso’s historic title has changed club for ever | Bundesliga

In different contexts, it might need been seen as tempting destiny, daring to anger the soccer gods. Leverkusen was set for a day of celebration like by no means earlier than. Roughly 10,000 individuals lined the streets to greet the group bus main as much as the Bay-Enviornment with Bismarckstrasse renamed Xabi-Alonso-Allee for the day with its new moniker plastered on avenue indicators.

But Bayer Leverkusen weren’t simply expectant. They have been prepared. In contrast to Borussia Dortmund, who had stumbled agonisingly on the ultimate day final season when their likelihood to dethrone Bayern Munich arose, they by no means felt like dropping the ball. On Sunday, they solely wanted to beat Werder Bremen to make mathematically certain of the title.

When confronted with the second if you actually can take what you need a lot, there may be often no ‘solely’. But Alonso’s group made it seem to be simply that. All through this extraordinary season, they’ve made the heroic appear regular. Take the daring efficiency to take a draw at Bayern in a ding-dong again in September (the one two league factors they dropped earlier than December). Or the successive stoppage-time winners in Augsburg and Leipzig on the post-winter resumption in January. How concerning the February demolition of Bayern within the return match that wowed the world? All the pieces has been completed with the utmost of fashion and the minimal of fuss. It has been Alonso to a tee, for those who like.

When the squad have been decimated by the African Cup of Nations, their coach made some extent of by no means publicly complaining. When their star striker, the irresistible Victor Boniface, picked up an damage in Nigeria’s marketing campaign that saved him out till lately, Leverkusen simply carried on. No excuses, no caveats. Simply subsequent man up. Having missed a number of of these magic moments in 2024 because the group headed in direction of crescendo, it was becoming that Boniface scored the first-half penalty towards Bremen to get the get together correctly began. From there, there was barely a second of doubt.

If a grubby, unglamorous win to get it over the road would have been tremendous – something to lastly get it completed and put that drained ‘Neverkusen’ epithet to mattress – this group have been by no means possible to offer that. Granit Xhaka, who Alonso calls his eyes and ears on the sector, began the victory lap with a long-range left-footer of ferocious energy, clearing the best way for the crown prince Florian Wirtz so as to add his sprinkle of stardust to proceedings.

When Wirtz sprinted clear to attain his second and make it 4-0 within the 83rd minute, a few of these delirious followers might hold it in no extra and streamed on to the sector. After practically three minutes of pitch clearing, led by Wirtz himself, the sport was in a position to proceed, however the followers weren’t going again into the stands. They have been simply tucked behind the promoting hoardings, barely contained. There was to be no holding again the tide. When Wirtz accomplished his hat-trick within the ninetieth minute, supporters rushed on once more and this time, referee Hurt Osmers didn’t try and restart the sport. It was throughout and, inevitably, Bayer Leverkusen have been lastly Bundesliga champions for the primary time within the membership’s historical past.

Simply chewing over that final sentence feels wild. It could have felt so in the beginning of this season, lower than a yr in the past, even with the Alonso impact already plain to see, with the coach having lifted the group from second backside to only wanting the highest 4 and the Europa League last final season, having arrived in October 2022. The panorama has reworked in addition to the road names. Prior to now capitulation has felt inevitable. Now, underneath Alonso, solely victory feels inevitable.

Amid the zeal of standing on the verge of the unprecedented, there was a complete calm amongst these gamers all through. On the stroke of half-time, with only a one-goal lead, Odilon Kossounou’s assured, mushy shoe shuffle to ferry the ball out of the hazard zone deep in his personal penalty space to the breaking Nathan Tella on the suitable mentioned all of it. When Alonso spoke of the membership’s achievement post-match, in between intermittent beer showers from his jubilant gamers, he graciously mentioned this was not simply his title however these of his predecessors, “Christoph Daum, Klaus Toppmöller, Roger Schmidt,” however Kossounou’s second of readability wouldn’t have occurred underneath any of them. Leverkusen have typically entertained, and now they radiate confidence and assurance. From able to mixing it with the perfect on their day to being the perfect every single day.

“To those that have solely had Bayern Munich,” grinned Robert Andrich to DAZN, “now it’s Bayer Leverkusen time.” The midfielder’s phrases acknowledged the groundbreaking second that his group are having fun with, a nod to youthful supporters who’ve recognized nothing however the Rekordmeister, but additionally communicated the sensation throughout the squad that they’re not completed. Alonso’s beginning lineup for this most historic of video games had made plain the ambition and the widescreen imaginative and prescient: the continent’s two finest wing-backs of the season, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo, left on the bench, with a Europa League return match at West Ham to return on Thursday. Wirtz was too, till he got here on at half-time to make plant the total cease on his group’s landmark Bundesliga marketing campaign.

That want to revenue from every second and to be higher at each juncture has characterised Leverkusen. They’ve received this Bundesliga resulting from their brilliance reasonably than by default. Bayern haven’t been horrible this season. Flawed, sure – and people flaws, primarily their defence and a scarcity of management in midfield are nothing new – however not irredeemably dangerous by any means. Earlier than they travelled to Leverkusen in February for the defeat that ended up defining this season, the outgoing champions had really compiled the sixth-best begin to a marketing campaign in Bundesliga historical past. With 5 video games to go, they’re extremely prone to beat their title-winning factors whole from final season.

As Herbert Hainer and Jan-Christian Dreesen issued their congratulations to these partying at Bay-Enviornment by gritted enamel (“we’ll take this as a direct incentive, and won’t relaxation till the [trophy] comes again to Munich,” mentioned Dreesen), ideas projected to what may come subsequent. It is going to be, probably, a tough summer season for Leverkusen, even when Alonso remaining in his submit makes it much less so. The plan for an sudden title winner is commonly the identical – promote from a place of energy after which hold the core of the squad collectively. Capping gross sales is tough, nevertheless.

Have a look at Monaco’s Ligue 1 champions in 2017, who meant solely to promote Bernardo Silva and Tiemoué Bakayoko on the season’s finish earlier than Manchester Metropolis’s monumental supply for Benjamin Mendy modified the sport and sparked a dressing room exodus, with Kylian Mbappé ultimately the final man out. If Wirtz has the Euro 2024 on dwelling soil that he’s able to, an uncomfortable €100m + query could possibly be posed, even when the dearth of possible candidates and the PSR crunch in England each play in Leverkusen’s favour.

Holding on to Alonso does give them a greater likelihood of protecting loads of champagne within the bottle. His ambition has unfold on this membership, it has gripped these gamers and Bayer Leverkusen won’t ever be the identical. Flawless, with extra to return.