Mental letdown but still no excuses to not be up for a cup final. Props to Atalanta, who found a way to cope without Hojlund.
Xabi Alonso: Bayer Leverkusen INVINCIBLES double-winning manager
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
Flew too close to the sun?
I think we've seen a glimpse of what happens when they face CL quality opposition tonight. Think Xabi made a big mistake staying on for another year.Really wanted for Leverkusen to win so we could face them for the European Super Cup.
That's the thinking that leads to shock results
Not even ten hag can feck that up, surelyThat's the thinking that leads to shock results
Superb game from Atalanta and much deserved win.
Leverkusen had a proper meltdown. The stakes were to high for the players and that early first goal killed them.
To be slapped like this in a European final is quite a sad end to an incredible winning run.
Leverkusen had a proper meltdown. The stakes were to high for the players and that early first goal killed them.
To be slapped like this in a European final is quite a sad end to an incredible winning run.
Have they had a chat and agreed they’d all take their medals off as soon as given them?
This season there has been a record amount of upsets in the DFB Pokal (in the sense of lower league team wins against higher league team), it has just been special season in German football. So nobody can feel safe, nothing is guaranteed.Not even ten hag can feck that up, surely
I did think Leverkusen would win, but I also saw this coming a bit. The undefeated treble has been talked about as a foregone conclusion by a bit too many lately
Atalanta was the worst team they could've faced tbh, and Leverkusen got a reality check.
It's a good thing if they and their manager can learn the right lessons from it. The Champions League is a whole different animal.
This Leverkunsen season could rival AVB's FC Porto season as the best ever in European football, but will fall short.
Definitely overthought it, that tinkering of key players will get him sacked quickly if he makes it to Madrid
Bottled it tonight. Still a very exciting manager though who has every chance of doing great things in the future.
He's still pretty new to the job so I'm cool with him staying another season and getting more experience as I really want him to succeed with Real Madrid.
I thought his starting line up wasn’t it.
Boniface should have played up top and Andrich for Palacios.
I think Atalanta was just well prepped for this final, especially after losing the Coppa Italia last week.
Boniface should have played up top and Andrich for Palacios.
I think Atalanta was just well prepped for this final, especially after losing the Coppa Italia last week.
Late goals in recent matches have papered over cracks. Defeat was bound to happen.
They were ceptic tonight. Looked like they underestimated the physicality and intensity that Atalanta were gonna bring, and had no plan B to change it up.
Went to the well once too often, Atalanta were a seriously good price tonight.
They were never able to get out of Atalanta’s press and get their passing game going.
This team seems to struggle against physically superior teams.
This team seems to struggle against physically superior teams.
Welp, this team goes back to being uninteresting. Shame.
Look man, all things must eventually come to an end.
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Pressure got to them. Still a hell of a season though.
Fecking De Gea. We could've been there until the next morning and he wouldn't have got near one.
It was a Pep special
So true
It's a bit off topic but other than SAF who are the other managers that have/had the habit of tinkering successfully?
Up until now, Alonso's tinkering was successful. I think he made a mistake by not starting Boniface. Even in his current form his presence immediately had a positive impact. But what broke us yesterday was nervousness, IMO. We made more mistakes than in the 51 games before. Atalanta provoked many of them with their great pressing but many were uncalled for as well. Think this had as much impact as Alonso's tactical miscalculation. But shit happens, still one hell of a season
When I saw the starting 11, I knew Bayer could never win that game. Grimaldo and Adli has the most advanced players of the team. What was he thinking?
It was effectively the same formation he used the round before against Roma. So not really a lot of tinkering involved.
But... why? Even against Roma almost didn't worked. Only Guardiola can use 7 center midfielders and win the game.
Which is the problem. Roma isn't Atalanta. "It worked against Roma" is insane decision making
It did work against Roma, they battered them. Roma's atracking gameplans - esp going after their CBs - also worked fairly well but defensively they chased ghosts for 2 games
I think the game plan wasn't that bad. Atalanta defends one on one which is very risky. Lots of pressure, not much space but when you beat their pressing line, they offer much space inbehind. Our biggest strength this season is freeing ourselves out of pressure and then play our fast paced attackers through. Alternatively you can play high balls over the pressing line up to a target striker but Boniface still lacks sharpness and Schick's hold up play is average at best. And it's not as if Atalanta overran us, they scored from more or less every threatening situation. Superior mentality.
The gameplan was bad. Build up from the back but rigid structure, short spacing, and no easy advantages, plus no plan B?
I mean, we didn't lose 51 games that way. This is literally what makes Alonso so successful. We invite, not to say provoke, opponents into pressing us, ideally around the middle line on the left side. Then we utilize the technical brillance and football IQ of Wirtz, Boniface, Palacios, Xahaka, Grimaldo and co. to outplay them and release the ball to other flank (most often Frimpong) or play a through ball inbehind when the opponent committed to it. In essence, we want possession around the center of the pitch and play through the last third of the pitch very quickly (we have that in common with Inter by the way). On paper, Atalanta was a very good match up for us because we love teams that condense the space like this. Thing is, when you make more errors in one game than in the previous 51 combined, this won't work.
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I don't know, you kept a fairly rigid structure throughout and never tried to increase the spacing, force them to spread out. Didn't see your defenders pushing up, abandoning the shape to create advantages behind their midfielders - Inter's staple against them - shift play out wide quickly(where atalanta concede more space) or trying to go in behind early...
Makes me think this was the plan, rather than players fecking up. The players made plenty of mistkes of course and not all because of Atalanta, but they also weren't given the best options to succeed here
Reminder. In a one off final, you play your best team.
The press from Atalanta made Leverkusen go long but Adli wasn’t able to hold up the ball. Once Boniface came in, Bayer had more control in the game.
The press from Atalanta made Leverkusen go long but Adli wasn’t able to hold up the ball. Once Boniface came in, Bayer had more control in the game.
I felt that you'se had plenty of opportunities where you escaped Atalanta's press and were running at them, but just couldn't put it together in the final third. Didn't feel like you were completely outclassed by them (goals aside)
Such an anti-climax to Bayern Leverkusen's incredible season. I knew their unbeaten run would end at some point but I was hoping they would go the whole season undefeated. At least they went unbeaten in the Bundesliga, a feat that even Bayern Munich has not achieved. Just wondering if they had drawn with Atlanta and they lost on penalties, would this still count as unbeaten for them?