#TSGB04: outstanding transfers, an outstanding record

In the end, even Xabi Alonso, the former World Cup winner, European champion and multiple Champions League winner with Liverpool and Real Madrid, had to shrug his shoulders and admit with admiration: “There are things I can’t teach Flo. That was one of those things.” The magical goal scored by 20-year-old Florian Wirtz against SC Freiburg, where he deftly fooled the Freiburg defence and scored after 14 touches of the ball, surrounded by eight Bremen players, has to be a frontrunner for Goal of the Season. It also served as a demonstration of the exceptional individual quality in the Bayer 04 Leverkusen squad that will visit TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday (15:30 CET, live ticker at tsg-hoffenheim.de).

The team from the Rhine have made an exceptional start to the season, and are not only undefeated after nine Bundesliga matchdays, but also recently notched up nine consecutive wins across all competitions – a new club record. The table-topping side who visit the Kraichgau on Saturday are being tipped as possible champions by many. This summer, Bayer 04 – previously renowned for fielding young talents – made a conscious decision to invest in experience, signing three highly seasoned internationals in Granit Xhaka from Arsenal, former Hoffenheim player Jonas Hofmann and Alejandro Grimaldo from Benfica. The young Nigeria striker Victor Boniface, signed from Union Saint-Gilloise, has been an exciting addition to Leverkusen’s forward line and is the club’s top scorer with seven goals. The 22-year-old has also helped Leverkusen forget the lengthy absence of star centre-forward Patrik Schick, who has been sidelined again by another injury just one match after his return.

The style of play practised by the Werkself has also undergone a noticeable transformation, from high-speed transitions and a preference for the counter-attack to a more multi-faceted possession approach, which former elite holding midfielder Xabi Alonso has stood for since his playing days. The Spaniard is already being touted as the ideal option for the vacant head-coach role at Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. His record at Leverkusen has been extraordinary: Alonso has notched up an impressive 101 points in 51 competitive matches. In the Europa League, the team is close to reaching the round of 16 after three wins in three games, while in the DFB-Pokal, the team are through to the last 16 following a tough 5-2 win over SV Sandhausen, which, despite the scoreline, was a close run thing right until the very end.

In the match against the 3. Liga side at the Hardtwaldstadion, TSG fans were able to see where Bayer 04 are vulnerable – from set-pieces. Sandhausen’s goal to make it 2-2 came from a corner, and against Freiburg, a goal from a free-kick gave the opposition a chance to snatch a draw. The Werkself have already conceded six goals in the Bundesliga from dead-ball situations. Alonso has acknowledged that this is a problem area for his team: “We need to be stronger in the tackle, that’s something we’ll try to improve,” said the 41-year-old Spaniard after the game in Sandhausen on Wednesday evening, adding: “But there’s hardly any time.”

For on Saturday, TSG Hoffenheim await.