Every title push contains games like this one. Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen was far from at its best against Mainz, but it established an 11-point lead over Bayern Munich by winning 2-1 — just about getting over the line rather than striding to victory.
Nerves, for a side that is certainly not used to winning league titles, were understandable. Perhaps they came into play here, with frustration boiling over at times. Jeremie Frimpong was cautioned for lashing out at the referee, who had missed a cynical trip on the wing-back. The delightful Florian Wirtz, who plays with a poise and an elegance remarkably like peak Philippe Coutinho, performed with a scowl for much of the game as he was angered by several decisions.
Yet by avoiding defeat (and winning in fact) against Mainz, Leverkusen not only moved 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, but Alonso’s men also set a new German record for going 33 consecutive matches without losing in all competitions. It has played far better this season — and no doubt will do so again — but it simply had to get over the line. This was a test of its title mettle and it passed. It would be a surprise if there was a Borussia Dortmund-like collapse from here.
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Among the latest group of players to fail to stop Leverkusen’s title tilt was Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg, on loan from the Reds at Mainz. The young Dutchman actually played quite well and he was on the end of a lot of crosses that were swung in and the passing moves from Leverkusen that broke down. He could do nothing for the goals that his side conceded.
It took only a little more than two minutes for Leverkusen to take the lead, with Granit Xhaka netting from more than 20 yards after his curled effort caught goalkeeper Robin Zentner by surprise. But Dominik Kohr headed in an equalizer just a few minutes later, causing a bit of angst in the home crowd.
It took a monumental goalkeeping error from Zentner, who almost threw one in from Robert Andrich’s shot, for Leverkusen to re-take the lead, before Jessic Ngankam was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on Xhaka in midfield. It was far from vintage stuff but the Bundesliga leader got itself over the line. It found a way to win.
For those who subscribe to the argument that Alonso needs to win the title from here in order to make himself the leading contender for the Liverpool job in the summer, this was another step in the right direction. So too was it a big positive for the Spaniard and his players, who dealt with the pressure and moved into an even more commanding position.
Nothing is done yet, of course, and Bayern Munich could cut the gap to eight points again with a victory at home against RB Leipzig tomorrow, but Alonso and his players kept their cool here. Leverkusen is now just 11 matches away from going a full season unbeaten and a maximum of nine wins away from confirming itself as the German champion having only dropped points four times to date.
No one has ever gone unbeaten in the German top flight for as long as Alonso’s side has. No one has looked so much like the obvious candidate for Anfield chiefs to turn to in the summer than the ex-midfielder.
From the experience of Xhaka to the youthful exuberance of Wirtz, Alonso has Leverkusen playing remarkable winning football. Just this week, Sport BILD reported that Liverpool was looking at the latter ahead of the summer, with Real Madrid also circling and Manchester City viewing him as a successor to Kevin De Bruyne.
Wirtz is far from the only one, but he is the jewel in the team that Alonso has concocted. In the words of the BILD report, it is ‘easy to imagine’ the pair at Anfield, rather than the BayArena, next season. This game was another step towards fully explaining why.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
