Werder Bremen – Bayer Leverkusen: Erik ten Hag’s Last Straw (3-3)

With two teams searching for their first victory of the domestic season pitted against each other, in a way, it was bound to be a competitive match. Bayer Leverkusen seemed to run away with three points in the second half. However, a late implosion saw them slip away despite a man and two-goal advantage, resulting in a dramatic late equalizer. Matters were made worse when Erik ten Hag was sacked a few days after the defeat.

Tactical analysis and match report by Fahd Ahmed.

Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen have undergone tremendous changes over the summer. The former lost their long-standing manager Ole Werner to league competitors RB Leipzig. Under Werner, Bremen were promoted back from the second division and have established themselves since 2022. The gradual progression of the club peaked last season after the club finished in their highest top-flight league position since the 2018/19 campaign under Florian Kohfeldt. Thus, the loss of Werner and some squad changes with numerous players leaving on a free marked a crucial transitional moment.

Leverkusen have endured something very similar with their head coach Xabi Alonso leaving for Real Madrid after a historic achievement two seasons ago as they lifted the title for the first time ever. Along with that, Alonso also lifted the DFB-Pokal and the German Supercup during his tenure.

The club also lost many of their core players that formed the spine of the title-winning side. The list of departed personnel is long – Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Amine Adli, Victor Boniface, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapié are some of the highlight names. Although Leverkusen spent a chunk of that money . . .