Bayer 04 Leverkusen got off to a disastrous start to the season. The Werkself are in 15th place and lost to Elversberg in the first round of the cup. Only in the 2-0 win against Atlético Madrid and in Mainz was the team able to call on its skills. We take a look at the few winners and many losers at Bayer 04 at the start of the season.
Jeremie Frimpong is the best Leverkusen player in the young season so far. The lightning-fast right-footed player was used both on the right back and right front and regularly enlivened the games. In addition, with his brace against Mainz 05 and his two assists against Atlético Madrid, he was the reason why the Werkself have won games at all this season. The 21-year-old Dutchman was able to prove that he is one of the greatest talents in his position and has become even more efficient offensively.
Karim Demirbay is the constant in the Werkself game and has regularly put in solid performances in weak Bayer games. The midfielder has also been a frequent goalscorer of late, scoring one goal each in back-to-back Bundesliga games against Freiburg, Hoffenheim and Bremen. It should be said, however, that his performances on the defensive were in part rather expandable. A Demirbay still has room for improvement, but at least he is leading the way with goals.
The winter newcomer already showed good signs in the second half of the past year, even if his effectiveness left a lot to be desired. Azmoun was one of the strongest in the cup debacle against Elversberg and set up two goals, but he managed practically nothing in the Bundesliga. The Iranian continues to be very inefficient in front of goal and makes a lot of mistakes. His pass rate of 58 percent and his tackle rate of 35 percent are also weak. Azmoun hasn’t arrived in the Bundesliga yet.
Similar to Azmoun, the top Czech talent still has acclimatization problems. Hlozek has only scored in the cup against Elversberg and has not yet scored a goal in the Bundesliga. Accordingly, he recently found himself relatively often on the bench. Hlozek, it is clear that he is still a bit overwhelmed with the tough pace and pace in the Bundesliga. His performances, which kicker rated at best with a 4.5, were disappointing.
The Brazilian was supposed to leave in the summer, but ended up staying with the Werkself because the club didn’t want to let him go on a free transfer. However, the middle field player did not play a role in the current season. Paulinho wasn’t even in the squad recently. Instead, he complained about his employer and provoked a dumbbell post on his social media channels. The relationship between the two parties seems to have been destroyed.
Adli remains true to his bad luck with injuries. The young Frenchman, who had already missed large parts of the last second half of the season, is currently missing due to a broken collarbone. The injury came just minutes after his comeback from a long-term injury. It can be so bitter sometimes.
The left-back currently has little chance of starting XI appearances because his competitor Hincapie is a clear step ahead of him despite a mediocre performance. Even when he plays, Bakker simply shows too little. Up front there are no profitable impulses or precise crosses and on the defensive the former Parisian stands out with weak duels (42 percent duels won).
Jonathan Tah does not necessarily stand out negatively from the team, but certainly not positively. The central defender cannot repeat his strong previous season and was in a rather modest form right at the start of the season against Dortmund. The centre-back has only won 51 per cent of his tackles so far, which is quite sobering for such a tall and athletic player. Hansi Flick’s non-nomination is a logical consequence of Tah’s achievements. The performances of Tapsoba, who is currently stagnating as a celebrated central defender talent, are similarly mediocre.
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Leverkusen’s disaster start: Bayer 04 winners and losers.
