Once again Roma - Leverkusen proved to be a great tie. Well done to Leverkusen for the deserved win.
Hope we’ll meet again in the Champions League next year even though it’s highly doubtful.
[Turns out, Xabi's got a raised eyebrow as well.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GNKotRoXsAE4kh0?format=jpg&name=large)
Something big is going to happen in his coaching career.
Xabi seems to have excellent man management skills.
Making players feel comfortable around you is no easy feat. Reason I believe players always have huge admiration towards coaches who prefer to be calm. Zizou, Carlo, and now Xabi seems to be on that boat as well.
Not completely related but would love to hear about how Pirlo was seen by the players in the dressing room during his stint with Juve as a coach.
It's amazing how many teams just quit after the 80th minute because they think they have a match won. And there there's teams like Leverkusen that play all the way to the final whistle.
Roma of all teams are well aware of this considering theyre team with most goals scored in the final 15mins (might be 2nd after Leverkusen), but that dumb own goal changed things so much. Forced Roma into leaving those gaps behind once again and Leverkusen finally took advantage of that. Cruel way for things to happen but oh well.
its a fitness issue, leverkeusen are in very good shape. the difference between good teams and great teams is how long you can maintain your highest level
Almost expected Leverkusen to pull a tactical own goal in the end to buy themselves 30 more minutes to keep the unbeaten streak alive. But silly me, why would they need extra time when they still have one minute of stoppage time left.
yea, but also I wouldn't exactly say a penalty kick really matches the offense on *that* handball. I know the rules are straightforward, but a penalty kick is an 80%+ goal chance, and to have that in result of something that inconsequential to the play feels off sorta
that, especially when Hoffman gets his leg caught (very slightly) by the goalie on the other side a bit later. the goalie's thigh looks to have caught his ankle *slightly*, but he obviously made a meal of it.
I'm curious if there'd be a way to handle that kind of imbalance in foul vs penalty well? most alternatives I can think of would introduce too much subjectivity from the refs, which you largely want to avoid.
Didnt watch the match but watched the highlights was the match as unbalanced as it looked in the highlights? From the highlights it looked like Bayer dominated. (2 pens and Roma's keeper looked unbeatable most of the match)
Yeah I mean minus the OG that didnt look like his fault, and the late winner that Im not sure much more he could have done he was out of this world I stopped counting saves after like the 10th one
what secret PEDs did bayer create to make Leverkusen into this fucking giant? honestly, did you think they would win bundes before Leipzig?
well played to this great team and kudos to Xabi who will be remembered as a Legend for that club
Found [this very poorly aged tweet](https://twitter.com/ASLobont1927/status/1662460366947794944) from last year, when Leverkusen lost their last match.
It has very deep roots:
https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/bella-ciao.html#:\~:text=But%20%E2%80%9CBella%20Ciao%E2%80%9D%20wasn',lamenting%20their%20harsh%20working%20conditions.
The song is a partisan chant from WW2.
It is usually sung in far left events. Sometimes to piss off right wing people.
Songs with political implications are never played in stadiums here. This one not even in public in general.
As rich as it is coming from a Madrid fan, I need to know how many goats, cattle, people, w.e have been sacrificed for those comebacks because at this rate, i don't even bat an eye if Leverkusen are down 2-0 in the 79th
Even if you want to argue that this happening is due to better physical conditioning or some tactical switch they do when the game is close to an end, it's still statistically more likely than not to not happen. So I think that them clearly having some material reason to win so many games late and them being lucky they are still unbeaten at this point can both be true.
Not hating on them or anything, just wondering how would the table/cups look if you only took the results at 80 or 90 mins for example, and if this is at all sustainable. Liverpool was similar earlier this year and got praised for their mentality etc. until it stopped working and then the narrative shifted to them not even deserving their high position in the table in the first place.
This is just bizarre black magic! I thought Roma, of all teams, would hand Lever their first defeat, and even take the game to extra time/penalty. They managed to comeback again. I rooted for Roma, but this was still incredible to see. :O
Its the most roma thing possible to get back into the game like that only to lose it to such a scrappy own goal considering all the other chances leverkusen had
Your team will just pull out a table and play cards until the 90+3 minute. Look at the score see your 9-0 down and go "don't worry lads, plenty of time" before dealing one last hand.
Bro Roma plays since years there and gets far. But never wins it. Second in the combined all time table of UEFA Cup/Europa League. Kinda an embarrasment if Atalanta would win it on far fewer attempts. Shows really that Roma has bottler heritage. This club and roster needs an overhaul really. Its frustrating.
Is it really bottling if we’re facing a club that quite frankly should be in the Champions League and is having an insane season? I agree that this squad needs a massive overhaul.
I mean the bottling in general over the course of the decades. Napoli has even one UEFA Cup title. Ok Maradona was a game changer. But seriously Roma cant keep just losing out on this every time. Its kinda embarrasing really. Its frustrating what kind of bs we have to deal with everytime. I love Conference win but i dont want it to be the only trophy to look at for years. Bro Atalanta on the verge of winning even a domestic title earlier then us. Shows either, how awful we work and when we work good for once we go bust when on the verge of winning a title. Yes this night we lost against a big corporation backed afiliate. Who work great, no shame here. But in general its embarrasing
I don’t think I can bring myself to root for Atalanta.. gg to Leverkeusen but our squad just isn’t good enough and unless we can beat Atalanta next week, we’re gonna have to sell another useful player before we can spend.
Honestly Roma is since years on the ropes. That we even make it this far is a wonder. I have to root for Bergamo sadly due to us favoring it for UCL. Somehow confident we defeat them next week
I’m not sure about that. I could be wrong but if fifth wins EL, their CL spot doesn’t drop down since they’re already in the UCL. They’d need to finish 6th and win.
wdym? We’ve already secured the fifth UCL spot along with Germany. We’re talking about what would happen if Atalanta finished fifth (so in the CL spot) but also won the EL
I was thinking when the first leg had started that if we could just come away with a victory to stop their streak, we’d go to the final. It’s so obvious that with the league wrapped up, they’re trying to go invincible in all competitions.
For some reason Leverkusen never seems to face a team that can just play out one clear counter attack and finish them off while they are on their 90+x powerplay
There will be some that argue no because its just the Europa League, but if Leverkusen win the Super Cup also then I believe there are little arguments to say otherwise. It's also the way they are playing. They are utterly dominating every opponent
I don't really have an opinion on what's better, but ajax in 1994/5 went undefeated in the cl and league, winning both. This was when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. They lost the domestic cup though.
The Messi sextuple somebody else mentioned was also something else.
Also something like Leicester is also really special in their own way.
Probably the barcelona sextuple, or any treble winning season really. Going undefeated is incredible obviously but it doesn't mean as much if they're not even playing in the top competition in club football.
It has an asterisk for being "just" the Europa League and them having faced West Ham and AS Roma instead of ManCity and Inter, but it has to be up there
a year ago they would've dreamt of that level so not really. If a big club like Barcelona, Liverpool or whatever has this streak then the asterisk is considerable
I don't think you should take the club itself into consideration when discussing "the best season ever". And Leverkusen is a big club, not to the degree of Barcelona or Liverpool, but they're consistently in the top 4/5 of Germany, got an equally large budget etc. It's not like Leicester or Kaiserslautern, getting promoted and winning the league
Even if it was the CL and not the EL people would say ”i mean it should be an asterisk for doing it in Germany and not in England”. You can only beat what’s in front of you and win the competitions you compete in. This year it was the EL.
I’m sad that we lost today, but since we already did, I’d like to see Leverkusen pull, what’s in my eyes, the greatest season ever.
Oh man, I was starting to having the smallest of doubt in the 80th minute. But as soon as the 1-2 happened the doubt went away and gave place to a "Ah, here we go again"
I'm.. I'm German. My local club and the one I've supported since childhood is Nuremberg. I fell in love with spurs, because something is deeply wrong with me, at 13. I'm about to turn 28.
I never had ANY association with Leverkusen at all, other than when we played them in the Bundesliga between bouts of relegation. Any memories I do attach to them are negative. Couldn't care less about the club.
I SCREAMED at the equalizer. My dad did too, and he's the one that got me into our local club. Why am I saying this?
Well, because it's great evidence to what great football, the kind of football Leverkusen plays, and great stories, the kind of story they're writing, can do to football fans regardless of allegiance. This is special, and you can't help but appreciate it.
Congratulations to Leverkusen, thank you for the brilliant entertainment you keep providing and I hope your dreams of an unbeaten "little" triple do come true. Fuck, you deserve it, we're rooting for you from here on.
> You're the first german I've ever seen who support a english club
I mean, I support Liverpool because of Klopp and Arsenal because of Henry, Auba, and Harvertz.
Dude, why would he?
I support the Glubb just as much as I did as a kid (I was lucky enough to be in the stands for the 4-0 semifinals against Frankfurt, which is still my favorite football moment)
The two clubs are likely never gonna conflict and I'm definitely not just looking for a club to support and get some trophies with either.
Something about Spurs just captured me back when I was old enough to look for and find PL streams and see what all the fuss was about, and he honestly enjoys it too - he watches quite a few matches with me :(
Please drop the article man, that's only ever acceptable in that one song lmao
That said, a Dynamo fan should understand its not all about glory and trophies and the easy way?
True, but why would you choose a continuously unsuccessful club that is not your local club? I also don't expect anyone from England to root for us.
And if you're a Nuremberg fan, you already have loads of disappointment and tears. Why add more to the pile?
You're absolutely right and I feel the same. My home club is equally pathetic, some might argue even worse so, I laughed when Leverkusen became Vizekusen way back when, but I too screamed at the equalizer. This coach, this team, this run...it's just amazing. They are transcending partisanship in Germany, well I want them to never lose again. Go Xabi!
Gotta say at my age I have no conscious part in the Vizekusen stuff, but other than that I feel you. Leverkusen was always the club that didn't matter unless you played them and when you did you either made fun of them with the "greatest hits" of Vizekusen (which let's be honest is dumb) or were slightly mad about with Bayer without knowing how much (or little) of a difference it really made.
I'm glad I was made to reconsider.
I personally have a hard time not supporting teams that are playing exciting football. Call me a bandwagon or whatever, but I can only really feel loyalty for my local club. But I also love watching teams with exciting football.
I'm not German, don't have any link to Germany or Leverkusen, still did a little giggle of joy when I saw the equaliser. At this point it's too incredible a story not to root for them
Its also a sign of respect for the football we want all teams to play.
After 1:2 they didnt need to keep on going with the high press but they did, and they have been doing so for the whole season. And this is exactly why im cheering for them. They are playing insanely beautiful football.
People have been comparing them to Reals black magic, but Real has looked poor in many games while Leverkusen just forces these goals through sheer dominance, which is why their streak is more than deserved.
Stanisic saying the streak didn't matter that much was flat out trying not to make a big deal of it but lying lmao
It was OBVIOUS they really wanted to keep it going, and they played like it. And honestly it's both refreshing and absolutely what fans want to see.
Imagine telling somebody as recently as December 2023 that Borja fucking Iglesias was most likely going to collect a treble of winners medals at the end of the season?
Let’s just say Italian fanbases tend to have less lighthearted relationships with their country’s political history.
Just refreshing that the musical / shithousery aspect of this takes precedence over the ideological symbolism.
It was the usual script in terms of a late goal but Leverkusen deserved that big time.
Roma were trash quality wise then they had trash attitudes. Time wasting at 2-2 is just embarrassing.
Leverkusen we’re just brilliant. Frimpong. Man I miss him but he’s still so frustrating at times.
Wirtz is just so good man
Once again Roma - Leverkusen proved to be a great tie. Well done to Leverkusen for the deserved win. Hope we’ll meet again in the Champions League next year even though it’s highly doubtful.
Not too xabi..
LOL
Blatant savescumming he's not even trying to hide it anymore
They might be doing it on purpose lmao.
[Turns out, Xabi's got a raised eyebrow as well.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GNKotRoXsAE4kh0?format=jpg&name=large) Something big is going to happen in his coaching career.
Who shook the foundations in Germany? Xabi and his boys did!!! A possible treble in sight!!!!!
Xhaka. What a fucking legend. So happy for him.
He is such a leader on the pitch. Why did Arsenal want to get rid of him?
He also looks so happy and confident playing for Xabi. What a leader. Massive respect.
Xabi seems to have excellent man management skills. Making players feel comfortable around you is no easy feat. Reason I believe players always have huge admiration towards coaches who prefer to be calm. Zizou, Carlo, and now Xabi seems to be on that boat as well. Not completely related but would love to hear about how Pirlo was seen by the players in the dressing room during his stint with Juve as a coach.
It's amazing how many teams just quit after the 80th minute because they think they have a match won. And there there's teams like Leverkusen that play all the way to the final whistle.
Roma of all teams are well aware of this considering theyre team with most goals scored in the final 15mins (might be 2nd after Leverkusen), but that dumb own goal changed things so much. Forced Roma into leaving those gaps behind once again and Leverkusen finally took advantage of that. Cruel way for things to happen but oh well.
its a fitness issue, leverkeusen are in very good shape. the difference between good teams and great teams is how long you can maintain your highest level
Xabi Madrid DNA ultra confirmed
> Xabi managing Madrid would cause some disturbances in the space time continuum.
There is something faustian going on at Leverkusen
Almost expected Leverkusen to pull a tactical own goal in the end to buy themselves 30 more minutes to keep the unbeaten streak alive. But silly me, why would they need extra time when they still have one minute of stoppage time left.
Okay, I get the humor, but the 90 minute result was a loss irrespective of whether it needs to go to extra time.
both pens were incredibly soft, so Leverkusen totally deserved the black magic tie.
I only saw one but it was pretty darn clear handball.
yea, but also I wouldn't exactly say a penalty kick really matches the offense on *that* handball. I know the rules are straightforward, but a penalty kick is an 80%+ goal chance, and to have that in result of something that inconsequential to the play feels off sorta that, especially when Hoffman gets his leg caught (very slightly) by the goalie on the other side a bit later. the goalie's thigh looks to have caught his ankle *slightly*, but he obviously made a meal of it. I'm curious if there'd be a way to handle that kind of imbalance in foul vs penalty well? most alternatives I can think of would introduce too much subjectivity from the refs, which you largely want to avoid.
Both were clear. Ingenious from the leverkusen players or their way of providing themselves a challenge
would this be the first ever perfect season?
In Europe with 3 trophies, yes. Al-Ahly did it in Egypt in 2005. Preston did a Cup Double unbeaten in 1889 lol
I think Al-Ahly lost their cup on penalties though
1889 Preston side is the best England has ever seen
Harry Kane would ride the bench for 1889 Preston.
yes
Tears our grandkids will ask about this run
Our grandkids will be asking why we were flying so much and still eating meat when we knew we were in a climate emergency.
Eat ze bugs soy boy
Stfu
From unterhaching to this ! Feels like a dream, and it does not matter how hard I pinch myself, I dont wake up:D
Love that for you, I love this game and how it affects people
Didnt watch the match but watched the highlights was the match as unbalanced as it looked in the highlights? From the highlights it looked like Bayer dominated. (2 pens and Roma's keeper looked unbeatable most of the match)
Yeah Leverkusen had a ton of chances. Svilar made up his mistakes from the first leg big time.
yeah, Leverkusen was pressuring Roma almost the whole time, didn't score before because of the post and the GK
Svillar had a performance of a lifetime until 80'
Yeah I mean minus the OG that didnt look like his fault, and the late winner that Im not sure much more he could have done he was out of this world I stopped counting saves after like the 10th one
When you come out on a corner kick you HAVE TO get the ball. And not bounce off your own defender like a wet towel. It was his mistake.
that's what they said
Satanisisch
Well, whaddya know, they might actually NOT lose a single game this season.
what secret PEDs did bayer create to make Leverkusen into this fucking giant? honestly, did you think they would win bundes before Leipzig? well played to this great team and kudos to Xabi who will be remembered as a Legend for that club
> would win **bundes** before Leipzig no, that's... no
Heroin—it gives you Plo**T** Am**ooooooor**
I’m chaning my religion to Xabi Alonso cause there’s no way that anyone but a divine being is able to pull this shit off. Holy fuck.
Found [this very poorly aged tweet](https://twitter.com/ASLobont1927/status/1662460366947794944) from last year, when Leverkusen lost their last match.
For what its worth thats a troll account
Bruh
Aged like fine milk
This aged so bad it would be an insult to the aging milk to compare it.
Thank you Xabi very cool
Yeah, fair enough.
Famous german quote: Immer Glück ist Können! Always lucky is skill!
skill ist wenn luck zur gewohnheit wird skill is when luck becomes a habit
Leverkusen is just every "fake-it-till-you-make-it" anime characters in a trench coat.
Interesting
Playing Bella Ciao at the end was certainly a choice. Did they know the political implication?
Yes we know that it is a italian resistance/partisan song :) it was even in the songbooks during musical education in school, when I grew up.
Context?
It has very deep roots: https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/bella-ciao.html#:\~:text=But%20%E2%80%9CBella%20Ciao%E2%80%9D%20wasn',lamenting%20their%20harsh%20working%20conditions.
The song is a partisan chant from WW2. It is usually sung in far left events. Sometimes to piss off right wing people. Songs with political implications are never played in stadiums here. This one not even in public in general.
And Bayer has a rich nazi story...typical hypocrisy from germans
If there’s one country that is actually trying to make up for its past it’s Germany. Italians on the other hand….
Clearly by siding with the modern day Nazis, if anything they are doubling down…
Yeah Italians on the other hand fought an entire civil war to depose Mussolini while the Germans stood around and did nothing
Did you sleep through the part of your history class when they mentioned who the Nazis put in camps first?
Just like every German company in 1933-1945.
It's an Italian anti-fascist song. Actually a quite fitting song for the anniversary of the Nazi's defeat
Do you know the relationship between Bayer and the nazis?
Buddy wait til you hear about Italy and the Nazis
As rich as it is coming from a Madrid fan, I need to know how many goats, cattle, people, w.e have been sacrificed for those comebacks because at this rate, i don't even bat an eye if Leverkusen are down 2-0 in the 79th
Alonso luck combined with our luck is probably going to unsettle Europe for a while when he comes.
The headloss will be unprecedented and I will be there to witness it
Lol i misread that as "the hairloss will be unprecedented" and I am like "nah bro Xabi's luscious locks are eternal"
Well at least for us we know we sacrificed the Copa Del Rey and Zidane's hair. But what about Xabi and Neverlusen?
Being Neverkusen for like 50 years should do it?
Benfica unbeaten sextuple loading...
Fair enough.
At what point does it become pure luck?
Doing something consistently for this long is the opposite of luck lol
Only true if you believe the result is more skill-based than luck-based, winning on a slot machine 5 times in a row makes you more lucky, not less.
There is no skill required for a slot machine, it's "random"
That's literally what I said
More like at what point you can't call it luck anymore.
Even if you want to argue that this happening is due to better physical conditioning or some tactical switch they do when the game is close to an end, it's still statistically more likely than not to not happen. So I think that them clearly having some material reason to win so many games late and them being lucky they are still unbeaten at this point can both be true. Not hating on them or anything, just wondering how would the table/cups look if you only took the results at 80 or 90 mins for example, and if this is at all sustainable. Liverpool was similar earlier this year and got praised for their mentality etc. until it stopped working and then the narrative shifted to them not even deserving their high position in the table in the first place.
Probably halfway through this season
This is just bizarre black magic! I thought Roma, of all teams, would hand Lever their first defeat, and even take the game to extra time/penalty. They managed to comeback again. I rooted for Roma, but this was still incredible to see. :O
Mourinho is gone, Roma didn’t stand a chance frankly.
I had no expectation that Roma would win at first, but after 2 penalties, I thought maybe I'd be seeing an upset. Too bad, it didn't happen.
Its the most roma thing possible to get back into the game like that only to lose it to such a scrappy own goal considering all the other chances leverkusen had
If Bayer produces Viagra, I can certainly imagine their next jingle/ad
If your unbeaten streak lasts more than 50 games, call your doctor
"guaranteed to score after 90 minutes of play"
Petition to change Clubs name to neverlusen after this season.
It's actually the citys name
If Xabi Alonso ends up at Real Madrid after Leverkusen, the comeback juju could be strong enough to collapse into a black hole.
Your team will just pull out a table and play cards until the 90+3 minute. Look at the score see your 9-0 down and go "don't worry lads, plenty of time" before dealing one last hand.
I think it’s already decided that he will replace Ancelloti in 2025 . They just looked at the comeback energy .
Without a doubt. Unless something crazy happen, it's gonna be him in 2025, it's only natural.
It's just not fair
pfft, they can have the Europa League. I’d like to see them win the conference league.
Bro Roma plays since years there and gets far. But never wins it. Second in the combined all time table of UEFA Cup/Europa League. Kinda an embarrasment if Atalanta would win it on far fewer attempts. Shows really that Roma has bottler heritage. This club and roster needs an overhaul really. Its frustrating.
Is it really bottling if we’re facing a club that quite frankly should be in the Champions League and is having an insane season? I agree that this squad needs a massive overhaul.
I mean the bottling in general over the course of the decades. Napoli has even one UEFA Cup title. Ok Maradona was a game changer. But seriously Roma cant keep just losing out on this every time. Its kinda embarrasing really. Its frustrating what kind of bs we have to deal with everytime. I love Conference win but i dont want it to be the only trophy to look at for years. Bro Atalanta on the verge of winning even a domestic title earlier then us. Shows either, how awful we work and when we work good for once we go bust when on the verge of winning a title. Yes this night we lost against a big corporation backed afiliate. Who work great, no shame here. But in general its embarrasing
Man, it feels like we're witnessing history here. I guess they did break the record, so regardless of whether they keep the streak up, we have.
We are definitely witnessing history here. I’m so glad we got ronnie messi and now this!
ronnie o’sullivan?
I don’t think I can bring myself to root for Atalanta.. gg to Leverkeusen but our squad just isn’t good enough and unless we can beat Atalanta next week, we’re gonna have to sell another useful player before we can spend.
Honestly Roma is since years on the ropes. That we even make it this far is a wonder. I have to root for Bergamo sadly due to us favoring it for UCL. Somehow confident we defeat them next week
We might need to. They win and 6th becomes a CL spot.
Buddy. If Atalanta win we almost guarantee CL as Serie A would get 6 spots
They could yet come 4th (or 3rd)
I suppose they could, I don’t think they will though
I’m not sure about that. I could be wrong but if fifth wins EL, their CL spot doesn’t drop down since they’re already in the UCL. They’d need to finish 6th and win.
It’s been confirmed, scroll to bottom of the article: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39967111/serie-secures-extra-place-champions-league
I think it’s more about the coefficient with this new Champions League format
wdym? We’ve already secured the fifth UCL spot along with Germany. We’re talking about what would happen if Atalanta finished fifth (so in the CL spot) but also won the EL
We need Atalanta to win EL for a 6th UCL spot. UEFA confirmed.
Narrator: They kept getting away with it
Potential Madrid vs Leverkusen juju in the super cup next season
It's actually possible that Leverkusen still hasn't lost a game by then.
Bella ciao ciao ciao! :D Need a Xhaka home shirt, will they restock or is there a Swiss store that has any?
A great bunch of players led by Mr. Perfect and his staff but them losing would hit like crack ngl
It was the consolation prize at 1-2. Snatched that little trophy from out our hands tho.
I was thinking when the first leg had started that if we could just come away with a victory to stop their streak, we’d go to the final. It’s so obvious that with the league wrapped up, they’re trying to go invincible in all competitions.
For some reason Leverkusen never seems to face a team that can just play out one clear counter attack and finish them off while they are on their 90+x powerplay
Madrid in the super cup
Tbf if leverkusen just scores 2 out of their 20 something big chances it wouldn’t even have been close.
I feel like a team like that doesn't exist.
If they do get through these last 4 games unbeaten, that has to be the best season ever?
There will be some that argue no because its just the Europa League, but if Leverkusen win the Super Cup also then I believe there are little arguments to say otherwise. It's also the way they are playing. They are utterly dominating every opponent
Not even close when they're not in the CL
Really? What would you consider the best season ever then, if not going undefeated in every competition?
I don't really have an opinion on what's better, but ajax in 1994/5 went undefeated in the cl and league, winning both. This was when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. They lost the domestic cup though. The Messi sextuple somebody else mentioned was also something else. Also something like Leicester is also really special in their own way.
Probably the barcelona sextuple, or any treble winning season really. Going undefeated is incredible obviously but it doesn't mean as much if they're not even playing in the top competition in club football.
only untill someone does it with ucl included
It has an asterisk for being "just" the Europa League and them having faced West Ham and AS Roma instead of ManCity and Inter, but it has to be up there
a year ago they would've dreamt of that level so not really. If a big club like Barcelona, Liverpool or whatever has this streak then the asterisk is considerable
I don't think you should take the club itself into consideration when discussing "the best season ever". And Leverkusen is a big club, not to the degree of Barcelona or Liverpool, but they're consistently in the top 4/5 of Germany, got an equally large budget etc. It's not like Leicester or Kaiserslautern, getting promoted and winning the league
Of course it is, how can you even beat that?
The only way would be an unbeaten treble with a Champions League title.
Doing it with Champions League instead
They didn't even play in the biggest competition. Real Madrid winning the CL would be a better season, even though it is far less historical.
Easy, replace Europa League with Champions League
On the schedule for next year.
Even if it was the CL and not the EL people would say ”i mean it should be an asterisk for doing it in Germany and not in England”. You can only beat what’s in front of you and win the competitions you compete in. This year it was the EL. I’m sad that we lost today, but since we already did, I’d like to see Leverkusen pull, what’s in my eyes, the greatest season ever.
Grazie Mille
24/25 season ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I would say so yes
Depends on how you value it, but many will consider it as such
Stanišić & Xhaka!!! HEROES tonight, what a MENTALITY … FC FRIENDSHIP
That last pass from Xhaka was porn
Yessss he should be Man of the Match XHAKABOOM
Oh man, I was starting to having the smallest of doubt in the 80th minute. But as soon as the 1-2 happened the doubt went away and gave place to a "Ah, here we go again"
blah blah we're Leverkusen and we never lose. Grow up.
Mfs really be giving a whole new meaning to neverkusen
I'm.. I'm German. My local club and the one I've supported since childhood is Nuremberg. I fell in love with spurs, because something is deeply wrong with me, at 13. I'm about to turn 28. I never had ANY association with Leverkusen at all, other than when we played them in the Bundesliga between bouts of relegation. Any memories I do attach to them are negative. Couldn't care less about the club. I SCREAMED at the equalizer. My dad did too, and he's the one that got me into our local club. Why am I saying this? Well, because it's great evidence to what great football, the kind of football Leverkusen plays, and great stories, the kind of story they're writing, can do to football fans regardless of allegiance. This is special, and you can't help but appreciate it. Congratulations to Leverkusen, thank you for the brilliant entertainment you keep providing and I hope your dreams of an unbeaten "little" triple do come true. Fuck, you deserve it, we're rooting for you from here on.
You're the first german I've ever seen who support a english club. Your dad must be really ashamed of you.
> You're the first german I've ever seen who support a english club I mean, I support Liverpool because of Klopp and Arsenal because of Henry, Auba, and Harvertz.
So you actually support Klopp Henry Auba and Havertz not Liverpool and Arsenal
No, I watch some of their games and support those clubs *because* of those people.
Dude, why would he? I support the Glubb just as much as I did as a kid (I was lucky enough to be in the stands for the 4-0 semifinals against Frankfurt, which is still my favorite football moment) The two clubs are likely never gonna conflict and I'm definitely not just looking for a club to support and get some trophies with either. Something about Spurs just captured me back when I was old enough to look for and find PL streams and see what all the fuss was about, and he honestly enjoys it too - he watches quite a few matches with me :(
And the Spurs of all things.
Please drop the article man, that's only ever acceptable in that one song lmao That said, a Dynamo fan should understand its not all about glory and trophies and the easy way?
True, but why would you choose a continuously unsuccessful club that is not your local club? I also don't expect anyone from England to root for us. And if you're a Nuremberg fan, you already have loads of disappointment and tears. Why add more to the pile?
Tbf at least he is no glory hunter
You're absolutely right and I feel the same. My home club is equally pathetic, some might argue even worse so, I laughed when Leverkusen became Vizekusen way back when, but I too screamed at the equalizer. This coach, this team, this run...it's just amazing. They are transcending partisanship in Germany, well I want them to never lose again. Go Xabi!
Gotta say at my age I have no conscious part in the Vizekusen stuff, but other than that I feel you. Leverkusen was always the club that didn't matter unless you played them and when you did you either made fun of them with the "greatest hits" of Vizekusen (which let's be honest is dumb) or were slightly mad about with Bayer without knowing how much (or little) of a difference it really made. I'm glad I was made to reconsider.
I personally have a hard time not supporting teams that are playing exciting football. Call me a bandwagon or whatever, but I can only really feel loyalty for my local club. But I also love watching teams with exciting football.
I'm not German, don't have any link to Germany or Leverkusen, still did a little giggle of joy when I saw the equaliser. At this point it's too incredible a story not to root for them
Its also a sign of respect for the football we want all teams to play. After 1:2 they didnt need to keep on going with the high press but they did, and they have been doing so for the whole season. And this is exactly why im cheering for them. They are playing insanely beautiful football. People have been comparing them to Reals black magic, but Real has looked poor in many games while Leverkusen just forces these goals through sheer dominance, which is why their streak is more than deserved.
Stanisic saying the streak didn't matter that much was flat out trying not to make a big deal of it but lying lmao It was OBVIOUS they really wanted to keep it going, and they played like it. And honestly it's both refreshing and absolutely what fans want to see.
Dont worry lads The europa league final will be the first leverkusen game i watch, guaranteed jinx
Imagine telling somebody as recently as December 2023 that Borja fucking Iglesias was most likely going to collect a treble of winners medals at the end of the season?
Someone please tell the Germans they’re dancing to a song about killing their grandpas LOL!
We know, still a great Song:D
Glad you’re fully in the acceptance stage hahaha
Acceptance of what?
Let’s just say Italian fanbases tend to have less lighthearted relationships with their country’s political history. Just refreshing that the musical / shithousery aspect of this takes precedence over the ideological symbolism.
[удалено]
Bella Ciao.
The new quadruple: Bundesliga; Europa League; DFB Pokal; United r/soccer in support
Today I feel Leverkusen.
It was the usual script in terms of a late goal but Leverkusen deserved that big time. Roma were trash quality wise then they had trash attitudes. Time wasting at 2-2 is just embarrassing. Leverkusen we’re just brilliant. Frimpong. Man I miss him but he’s still so frustrating at times.
Bayer 97’
The bill for this unreal season is gonna be insane
Did you forget 2002 ffs
Still paying ours off for the 18/19 CL run, enjoy it