EXCLUSIVE: Bundesliga expert reveals Bayer Leverkusen weakness Liverpool MUST exploit

Liverpool face Bayer Leverkusen in their fourth Champions League group stage match of the season Tuesday night.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso will be returning to Anfield with his Bundesliga-winning squad, who have found the going a little tougher this season as opposed to last.

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A league and cup double, plus an appearance in the Europa League final, marked Leverkusen out as one of the most prominent teams in Europe.

They have some of the game's best-emerging stars in Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, both of whom have been linked with Liverpool.

Ahead of the game where Liverpool will reunite with their Champions League-winning midfielder Alonso, we spoke with footballtransfers.com Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy for the latest insights on B04, their form this season and whether they are still the real deal.

Bayer Leverkusen are underperforming both in expected goals (xG) and expected goals against (xGA). What is behind the trend?

Any team will always have overperformances and underperformances, and whereas last season Bayer Leverkusen overperformed many of the stats, this year it’s the opposite. Perhaps next season, we will see them fall somewhere in between.

Perhaps a hunger has disappeared after finally winning the Bundesliga. Many champions say that retaining a title is harder than winning it. Unless, of course, you are Bayern Munich.

Is there a sense they were ‘lucky’ last year considering the number of late winners they scored?

Leverkusen were considered both lucky and ruthless last season, depending on who was commenting. They were seen as mentality monsters by their fans and extremely fortunate by their critics.

Many felt that their luck was due after being crowned ‘Neverkusen’ for so long. Before 2023/24, they only had two trophies in their history despite regularly challenging at the top of the German league. All those late goals came due at once.

They managed to hold onto all their stars; are the players performing individually?

Some of the players who popped up with key goals last season like Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo have not chipped in with as many goals this season. This is to be expected, given both are wing-backs and should not be seen as main outlets for goals.

But when Leverkusen were winning so many late games, they could rely on all the members of the team to make an impact.

Fatigue is probably playing a huge part as Leverkusen played more games than almost every other team in Europe last season and the majority of their players were also kept busy during the summer with international tournaments. They just haven’t had a break.

Did they get their summer signings wrong?

The biggest problem with the new signings was the fact that Leverkusen are now shopping in a different store than before. Previously, they could sign unheralded players and develop them before selling for huge profits.

Now, as Bundesliga champions and a team expected to go far in Europe, they are in the market for players who can contribute immediately and have no time to develop. They are still adjusting to this strategy, and the new arrivals have yet to have the desired impact.

The long-held unbeaten record went in second game, has their aura disappeared along with the invincible record?

They are unbeaten in 11 games since then, so are still extremely difficult to beat, but that is mainly down to the fact that they are still scoring lots of goals.

Leverkusen’s defensive weaknesses are still evident and perhaps have been exposed more this season than last season, especially as those same defenders who spent a lot of time attacking do not have the same goal and assist returns.

Leverkusen have only won one game in their last five, what’s behind the current slump in form?

Leverkusen’s schedule has been tough and relentless this season. They’ve already played Stuttgart twice as well as RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in domestic fixtures.

All three of those sides are Champions League teams this season, and that is in addition to playing actual Champions League games.

The players aren’t as sharp as last season and then the new additions haven’t shown the required standard to fully rotate in and out of the team.

Have their best players been Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface?

Yes, Wirtz and Boniface continue to be the two most important players for Bayer Leverkusen. They did excellently to keep Wirtz around for another season and he feels at home in the area and in the team.

Boniface continues to have a huge impact and may end up being even more important to the team as his injury last season means he did not play as many games as most of his team-mates.

Has Wirtz kicked on this season?

Wirtz looks set for his best-ever return for goals, which you can see in the impact he has made in the Champions League so far. But his brilliance was seen from the very start of the season for Leverkusen. Coming on with his side trailing in the Super Cup and being a man down, Wirtz changed the game single-handedly, scoring as they came from behind to win another trophy.

He has taken on much more responsibility, but has the belief and ability to match, ensuring that he can change games on his own.

Could a move to Liverpool suit him?

Wirtz would be excellent wherever he goes. Kai Havertz was the previous big sale for Leverkusen, but there is a belief that Wirtz’s decision to stay and develop further will mean that his transition into his next club and league should be much smoother.

Wirtz is also a much different type of player and his on-the-ball ability is perfect for chance creation and execution as he can be a difference-maker by himself rather than needing a strong supporting cast.

Is Xabi Alonso facing any criticism?

Alonso is yet to come under much heavy criticism, with the main complaints coming from the former Liverpool midfielder himself.

Before journalists even get a chance to criticise him in press conferences, Alonso raises the negatives himself, highlighting where he and his team need to do better. A strong showing in the Champions League has also helped quieten any critics.

Will he move to Real Madrid at the end of the season?

With Liverpool now off the market thanks to the brilliant start from Arne Slot, Real Madrid seems even more likely than before. Alonso seems tailor-made for Real Madrid, as he already knows the club inside out and knows the pressures and expectations that come with it.

However, the dressing room at Santiago Bernabeu has a lot more egos than the one at the BayArena, so it could be quite an adjustment.

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol said that the little ‘extra’ isn’t there any more for Leverkusen; what’s missing?

Match sharpness is likely missing this season, thanks to the exhausting season they had last season. If they had lost during the Bundesliga campaign and not been aiming for an Invincible season, they probably would have been able to take the foot off the gas a bit more in the latter stages of the season, but they were so focused on making history, many of the players were run into the ground.

Should they have sold their players for big money and moved on from Alonso in summer?

No, Leverkusen don’t really need to sell to compete with the teams around them in the Bundesliga (Bayern Munich aside). They are heavily backed by the Bayer pharmaceutical company and have benefits that the other 50+1 clubs in Germany have as a result.

This means that they are never really at risk of overspending like Hertha Berlin and Schalke have done recently. Keeping the squad around as well as the coach was the best idea to cement their status as one of the elite clubs of the country, and should benefit them in the long-run, helping draw a better quality of player to the club.

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