Bundesliga: Defensive Leverkusen happy: “Not always Tiki-Taka”

In the previous double season, Bayer Leverkusen impressed with fantastic attacking football. The fact that the 1-1 draw in Munich was fought primarily through defensive discipline and at the expense of offensive brilliance does not diminish the Werkself’s joy. “We can be happy and satisfied with one point,” summed up coach Xabi Alonso after the draw on Saturday evening in the top game of the Bundesliga against league leaders FC Bayern.

The guests suspected that this was the only way they could get something from the league leaders who had been so strong. “Because of last season, everyone wants us to go everywhere, bring out the tiki-taka and play brutally against every opponent. It would be nice if that were the case,” admitted Robert Andrich.

Points are more important than a nice game

“But I think that many games go differently,” added the German international and goalscorer for the 1-0 win. “It’s not always about playing well, but about scoring important points by playing well defensively. And that was such a game today.”

Teammate Jonathan Tah, who and his defense colleagues had the Munich strikers around Harry Kane largely under control and only allowed one long-range goal from Aleksandar Pavlovic, agreed with Andrich. When asked by a reporter whether this was a lucky point for Leverkusen, he replied: “Why lucky?” Apart from a double great chance from Serge Gnabry, Bayer hardly allowed Munich any opportunities.

Step in the right direction

“If the ten had had clear chances, then I would have said: lucky. I think we defended well today. In the last few weeks we have been asked whether we are ready to deliver a top defensive performance against such a top opponent. I think we showed that we were ready to do that and to suffer in these moments.” After the most recent games, for example the 4:3 against Wolfsburg or the 2:3 in Leipzig, Munich’s 1:1 was “absolute “was a step in the right direction,” said Tah.