Why Florian Wirtz and Xabi Alonso will likely stay at Leverkusen next season

In this in-depth conversation, we explore Bayer Leverkusen’s astonishing position on top of the Bundesliga. With ten points clear, a rare feat that’s catching the world’s attention, we discuss if they will maintain their lead or collapse like in 2002. Leverkusen’s past haunting failures and epic losses are contrasted with the current promise of triumph.

We dive into the roles of key players like Grimaldo and Frimpong in the team’s success. The video also highlights Coach Xabi Alonso’s remarkable contribution to shaping the team. With their contract situation tightly under control, does this hint at a long-term winning strategy for Leverkusen?

Would Leverkusen’s success be the same if they were not leading the table? This is the question we invite you to consider as we walk you through the fascinating story of Leverkusen’s current season.

Don’t forget to Like, Share, and Comment your thoughts below. Do you believe Leverkusen can pull off a back-to-back title win, or are they set for another epic collapse? Hit the Subscribe button and join us on this riveting journey.

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Yeah, this is really the psychological question I wanted to pose here to you, Stefan. If the team on the top of the table wasn’t Bayer Leverkusen with ten points clear ahead of by Munich, What? This will still be a title race. I mean, you and I are old enough to remember

2002 feats, of course, in 1999, feats of a. I mean, the 2000 to 1 was the more epic fail because this real way three titles I threw away a real treble yell collapse and epic fashion and all the having to give Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title. no, sorry actually was Dortmund.

Excuse me. By Munich was the first time. Then they collapsed. Of course, in the Champions final against Real Madrid. But Zinedine Zidane scored an incredible goal and then they lost the German Cup final as well. And to make matters worse, the captain, Michael Ballack,

Got all the way to the World Cup final of Germany and lost there to Brazil, although he wasn’t on the field. I mean, that is the most epic collapse of all time. And I think all of us, even now, 22 years later, we still remember that.

So my question to you is, if it wasn’t Leverkusen, ten points clear, top of the table, would we even have this discussion? Yeah, well, I’ll start by saying I do remember that Champions League final because it took place in the stadium, which I grew up outside of Hampden

Park in Glasgow and obviously one of the most iconic goals of Champions League history was a Dane’s volley. Yeah. So it’s such an interesting kind of curse if you will, because but I was actually with the club early in the season. They were quite happy to point out that,

You know, no other team have finished second in the Bundesliga. More often than Leverkusen, which is usually something you think a club would maybe try to hide or brush under the carpet or dismiss. But Leverkusen almost kind of, whereas like a kind of badge of pride. And obviously, you know,

The way the job of football is, where it has one club that tend to monopolize and then you have like five, six, seven kind of big clubs competing for that. I think Leverkusen do kind of feel at times that they get left

Out of that conversation where we talk about the shell goes into Dortmund and they Gladbach and Frankfurt and whoever else, simply because they don’t have the fan base or the stadium and things like that. But they would argue that they definitely do have the history, at least on the field.

You know, I’m sure all the chosen funds can argue to the cows come home about legitimacy in 50 plus one or whatever else. But yeah, I mean, to get to go back to your main point would be if this was bound

This far ahead to this point, we would say, yeah, it’s it’s done is done and dusted. And to be perfectly honest with you, I think this is also done and dusted. Ten points clear with 10.10 games left, if I’m not mistaken. And I think the key thing is the you know, this isn’t

You know, this is obviously a Dortmund two or three points ahead with I gave it allowance of minutes ago or as we saw last season, where it was really way down to the final matchday can maybe steelworkers and drop me one or two points here or there

And you can say they argue that in recent games they have been quite fortunate to pick up all three points, but there’s just nothing about this team that makes me think they’re about to kind of implode. And I think that basically sums up Leverkusen so well. You know, you look at this game

Against Cologne at the weekend to know when against their rivals. We joked before on the previous show that this is also a fixture that Cologne fans only call a rivalry when they win. But it had all the hallmarks of a derby, you know, a red card, some fantastic goals, great atmosphere. But it

Was a game that was once again kind of just one day. Leverkusen went through the motions. They did what they do best. And, you know, both goals were just kind of a perfect example of Leverkusen, I’m going to say, walking into the net, even though that’s kind of in the modern

Kind of way of football that’s almost been used as like a critique of certain teams that try to walk into that. And it is a critique unless a team actually can do that. That’s exactly what Leverkusen can do this season. And I thought it was also quite fitting that has Grimaldo and Frimpong

Who got the goals because they appear to them have just been so, so, so instrumental to this team. And the way that they play, the way they score goals, really, they went the way they unlocked teams and I had a friend ask me about this afternoon saying, you know,

He doesn’t follow German football, but he said, Well, I’ll take it. As the German league got interested. Then I was like, Yeah, more or less. He’s like, I’ve just looked at the stats. I can’t believe how many goals assists Leverkusen’s little fill box of. I was like, Well, that’s big.

That’s because they don’t fill bags. Their wing backs are at the very least actually just full blown wingers. And the reason I really want to emphasize the point about those two players is because there are two players played in a system

That Xabi Alonso has put together to get the best out of them. And I think he’ll be a real testament to just the remarkable job he’s done this season that I suspect that if or when Frimpong and Grimaldo move on to other clubs, I don’t think they will be able

To replicate, replicate what they’ve done with Leverkusen this season because they’re such specialized players in a specialized system that, you know, I don’t think you could just plop a Frimpong in at right back for Man United or a Grand Old or Better Left Back

For Arsenal or Real Madrid or whatever, and expect him to do the same thing. It’s, it’s a it’s a tailor made system with tailor made players. And at Harvard’s offices, Xabi Alonso, who is tactically been brilliant but also in terms of this this mental fortitude, he’s built such incredible,

You know, team that just do not give up. And I guess the point I’m trying to get to here is that it’s a very, very unique moment in time for this club, for these players, for this head coach. And that’s why they’ve been so amazing this season.

Yeah, I mean, and there’s a couple of things here. You know, I was asked in the Substack chat today what model is going to leave the club in the summer? And I do think that is going to leave because it’s the €40 million exit cross.

And I actually think that Leverkusen are planning to sell them right. And that is going to be their one big sell and so they can address other fields that they need to address, although I would argue that from post replacement is already at the club in Italia. Right. Is Yeah. Then.

Keller Sorry, he’s already pretty much been playing that role many times, including I guess the buying game where he started all of Frimpong. So I would argue the replacement is already there and they’re going to use the 40 million. And I, you know, when you talk to agents and people at Leverkusen,

They’re going to say, we really only need this only one player. We don’t have control over and that’s Frimpong. Everyone else we have control over. And that is very much by design, right, that they’re going to sell. He’s going to be the one we’re going to sell

And then we’re going to use the money to improve the squad even more. They also the news, of course, this week that emerged that they have control of Zahabi Alonso’s contract as well. There was always this understanding. There was an exit clause in 2014. Well, actually it’s in 2035. Right.

So that changes the discussion completely, in my opinion, because now De la Cruz can just say no to anything. And I’m I’m suspect of all. I mean, there’s no way that someone like this is going to let Alonso go. And I’m pretty sure that Alonso will accept that.

So that changes the conversation entirely. And then David’s camp came out too, right, and said that they want to stay long term. They were now talking about two or three years, even about staying at the club. So it’s really good time for Levi Cruz.

And then the point that I always want to make, I just did the math. So if they averaged two points a game for the rest of the way, which would be significantly less than what they’ve averaging now, they would get to 84 points, which is the maximum points up

By a munich can still reach if you an optimistic by a unified. I think they could win all of their remaining ten games. Well that’s good on you but that’s even even if Leverkusen drop the average point to two points a game they still get to 84 points.

So just you know they have a better goal differential as well, which is the other factor that would be enough at this point. You know, that’s that is a huge mathematical obstacle I think. And I would get that would be able in five games telemedicine

Just looking at a table right now, I think because they’re on 64 points. So to get to 84 points to two points per game would be five games, wouldn’t it. So see that run 10 to 16. Points or so, which of course to, to lead us on from doing the maths.

Yeah. But should be really interesting. Look you know you’re obviously right, I think that’s such important context. You know you mentioned the a xabi Alonso sort of arts frimpong stuff, I think a lot of people are expecting this Leverkusen team to be dissected and it might all happen.

It’s all, to be perfectly honest with you, as you said. Yes. Frimpong may be sold because he’s been in the shop window for two or three years now, to be perfectly honest with you. And 40 votes I think is the key one.

I think he’ll probably be taken his lead from what Xabi Alonso does. If Jambi Alonso stays floating, farts will say, Well, I play my best football here. We’re going to be playing in the Champions League or the German champions. We’ve made history. I’m happy staying here with him.

And I think the really important thing to bear in mind a bit of Javi Alonso stuff is that yes, any manager can get over contract, they can push, they can push and a club can come in and Peter compensation fee. We saw that with Julian Nagelsmann

At Bayern Munich obviously not that long ago. But in these circumstances we’re really talking about a club kind of needing a head coach last minute and parachuted in and said, I’m sorry, do we have to take your head coach now? I know you’re in the middle of a season.

I know you are preparing for this cycle, but we need your head coach and we’re going to give you compensation for that. That’s not really what’s going to happen to Xabi Alonso the end of the season. Lucas know which clubs bought him. They know that Liverpool might want them the door.

Be able to do want them. I guess you could make an argument they may maybe buying Munich want him to but if no these things were sold out long though that it’s not as if they’re going to get to June and suddenly Jabu Alonso is going to turn around and say

The Liverpool jobs available of off guys you know he’s obviously if they had if if if Javi Alonso has has any inclination to leave and go to Liverpool this summer or by Munich Leverkusen Madrid in order for adverts we already know that. And floating for universes. Dad would already know that

When he came out and says to the media he’s staying for two or three years. I think as you’ve seen on social media quite a lot recently, and I think it’s I completely agree with you all things lead up to Real Madrid in 2025 to me,

And that I think that would explain why the forwards camp are more than happy staying put for a year. And we’re not exactly seeing clubs or players hankering to to move on in the summer. While the other argument is, is what’s Alonso going to do

When when he’s won the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen. Well how about winning it again because of. The Champions League or the Champions League? He’s got the whole he gets a show at the Champions League, which as you know. Yeah, of course defended the title at the league.

Title was one thing, but I think we’re told by a team here by today who came within a whisker of what in the Europa League last season, you know, and they’re obviously in contention for this year. So there’s absolutely no reason why Xabi Alonso isn’t looking at the teams in the Champions League

This season and thinking, we could go far in that competition. So yeah, I would be surprised if that’s the main ambition next year. A semantic order when the league title this year. I also think that the one thing that really defined

Crop’s time at Borussia Dortmund was yes, the reaching the Champions League final, of course, but was back to back titles to show that you weren’t able to do it once but twice that you were able to best Bayern Munich twice right when such a long way of really cementing his legacy

At Borussia Dortmund and I think is we have seen many one hit wonders in the Bundesliga right Stuttgart coming out of nowhere to win the title hasn’t done it since was book is another one came out of nowhere won the title never were able

To replicate it or even came close to replicating it right. Dortmund is the only team that has done it and has started like two or three times in the history where they won it in, you know, in just the super modern by an era club Cup era that they come in and said,

We’re not only going to best you once, we’re going to bust it twice, and then we’re going to do something in the Champions League as well. And for Alonso to do something with something like that, with a cup that’s not named but was a Dortmund to maybe win back to back

Titles that, as you said, have a deep broader champions maybe win it. I think that would set a legacy up for him. Then he can do what Klopp does and pick whatever club he wants. Yeah, exactly. And as we’ve been saying from day one,

Xabi Alonso has made it clear that he will not change his plans for a club. He will do what he’s got to do and he’ll decide when he wants to leave Bayer Leverkusen. So yeah, if you’ll ever cruise and find a great weekend of action, things

Look very rosy for 2020 for my opinion and let’s just maybe hold off on believing all these transfer rumors until the end of the season. Perhaps.