Saarbrücken 0-3 Leverkusen
(Diaby 11′, Alario 19′, Bellarabi 58′)
Most German football fans will be familiar with the Neverkusen tag that the Werkself have carried around with them since the turn of the century.
Runners-up in the Bundesliga four times in six straight seasons, they concluded the last of those second-place finishes in 2002 with losses in both the Champions League and German Cup finals.
The trifecta of disappointments has haunted them ever since.
It will be with some relief, then, that Leverkusen saw off fourth division side Saarbrücken with a comfortable 3-0 win in the German Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
“To be honest, today was just about getting through to the final,” Kerem Demirbay said post-match.
“Every athlete dreams of competing in a final. I’m really up for it and so is the team.”
Now Leverkusen have a massive chance to defy their standing as the Bundesliga’s perennial bridesmaids and end an almost 30-year wait for silverware.
Defining game for Bosz
Awaiting Leverkusen will be either Eintracht Frankfurt or, most likely, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
This final will be just as much a test for coach Peter Bosz and his trophyless career as it will for his team.
The Dutchman’s unfaltering love for high-tempo, high-pressing football inspired Leverkusen’s 2-1 victory over Bayern back in November. Yet he couldn’t repeat the feat last weekend as Hansi Flick’s well-oiled machine beat Leverkusen at their own game in a 4-2 victory.
Bosz, having struggled to impose his tactics in his time in charge of Borussia Dortmund, has often been dismissed as a one-trick, attack-obsessed entertainer.
Peter Bosz is yet to win a trophy as a coach
But he has Leverkusen on track for Champions League qualification and a German Cup victory on top would prove satisfying vindication.
It could also prove Leverkusen’s best opportunity for redemption with a potentially disruptive transfer window looming.
Stars in demand
With recent signings Nadiem Amiri, Kerem Demirbay, Moussa Diaby, and Edmond Tapsoba finding consistent form and a squad boasting depth across the pitch, it’s an exciting time for Leverkusen.
The club is likely to record its highest Bundesliga points total since 2013.
But Kai Havertz’s future appears to be elsewhere – the 21-year-old is German football’s future and his talents are outgrowing Leverkusen.
A number of top European clubs are showing interest with Chelsea reportedly leading the chase with an €80 million bid.
Havertz’s influence on this team cannot be underestimated and Bosz will find it difficult to replicate Leverkusen’s form without the playmaker.
Add in a few irresistible offers for other stars and it’s looking like another rebuild soon enough.
Now or Neverkusen
Leverkusen has never won the Bundesliga and last tasted success in the 1993 German Cup final, which, amazingly, also featured Hertha Berlin’s reserve team.
Almost 30 years later, they’re in a great position to lay down a marker for a club that often suffers ridicule for its non-traditional origins and the team’s bad luck when it comes to clutch matches.
Turning the Neverkusen legend into a myth would be a crowning moment for Bosz and a fitting send-off for star man Havertz. The whole club will be praying for a Bayern slip-up on Wednesday night.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
1. Nuri Sahin – 16 years, 335 days
Financial problems meant Borussia Dortmund increasingly relied on their youth setup in the 2005/06 season. Coach Bert van Maarwijk saw something special in Sahin and promoted him for the first game of the season against Wolfsburg. The midfielder played for the club for 10 years over three spells (2005-2007, 2008-2011, 2013-2018) and has been with Werder Bremen since 2018.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
2. Yann Aurel Bisseck – 16 years, 362 days
The central defender made his Cologne debut late in 2017 in a 2-0 loss to Hertha Berlin under coach Peter Stöger. It was to be one of only three appearance that season and he was sent on loan to second tier Holstein Kiel when Cologne were relegated. But he struggled to break through there too and has now loaned to Dutch second division side Roda Kerkrade. At 19, time is still on his side.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
3. Florian Wirtz, 17 years, 15 days
The return of the Bundesliga after the coronavirus stopped play was memorable for many reasons, but for Florian Wirtz it was even more so. The winger dethroned Kai Havertz as youngest player to represent Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany’s top flight after being handed a professional contract shortly after his 17th birthday when he joined Bayer 04 from Cologne.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
4. Jürgen Friedl – 17 years, 26 days
After Frankfurt suffered a goalkeeping injury crisis in March of 1975, Friedl rose from fourth to first choice, making his debut in a 5-1 win over Hannover. He was the youngest player in the Bundesliga for almost 30 years until Sahin replaced him. Friedl played only three Bundesliga games, but won all of them. But at just 1.75 meters tall, the club felt he was too short to make the grade.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
5. Ibrahim Tanko – 17 years, 62 days
In the 1990s, the Ghanaian and 18-year-old Lars Ricken, formed the so-called “baby storm” at Borussia Dortmund. Tanko made his debut on 24 September 1994 when BVB beat Stuttgart 5-0. However, in seven years at the club he was never able to nail down a spot. After a positive doping result following marijuana consumption he was sacked and moved to Freiburg, where he ended his career.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
6. Giovanni Reyna – 17 years, 66 days
The American playmaker was four days older than Tanko when he made his debut in Dortmund yellow and black last season. Reyna made his debut as a substitute in January in a game against Augsburg. He follows in the footsteps of his father who played in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. Dad Claudio was sporting director at his first club, New York City.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
7. Josha Vagnoman, 17 years 89 days
The German-Ivorian grew up in Hamburg and joined the club’s youth setup as a 9-year-old in 2010. He made his first-team debut for HSV in March 2018 during a 6-0 whooping against Bayern Munich. The wing-back went down with Hamburg to the second division. He remains under contract with the club.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
8. Simon Asta – 17 years, 107 days
On May 12, 2018, Freiburg were already leading 2-0 when Augsburg’s then-head coach Manuel Baum brought off Jan Movarek and put on young defender Simon Asta with 10 minutes remaining. It was Asta’s only Bundesliga appearance until he played on the final matchday of last season. He otherwise plays for the club’s under-19 team.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
9. Maximilian Beier – 17 years, 114 days
Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier was also a key player for his club’s under-19 side. In February 2020, he got his first sniff in the Bundesliga. Coach Alfred Schreuder brought on the attacker, who, in 2018, moved to Hoffenheim from Energie Cottbus’ youth setup, in a game against Freiburg two minutes before the final whistle.
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Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
10. Julian Draxler – 17 years, 117 days
The beginning of a World Cup-winning career: On the 18th matchday of the 2010-11 season, the young Schalke midfielder replaced Ivan Rakitic in Hamburg, though only for the last seven minutes. The 17-year-old received more playing time throughout the rest of the season and became one of Schalke’s stars. Draxler received his first cap at 18-years-old and won the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-cup-now-or-never-for-peter-bosz-s-bayer-leverkusen-after-saarbr%C3%BCcken-win/a-53754869?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom