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Simon Rolfes on…
…the reasons for appointing the Swiss as the new Werkself head coach: We quickly noticed in our discussions that Gerardo is right for Bayer 04 both on a personal and sporting level. He impressively demonstrated his technical qualities at Young Boys Bern, he won the league there three times and dominated Swiss football with his team. In addition, he showed he can develop a team and also individual players – above all young ones. That's an important aspect for us as we have very many young players in our ranks.
…his impressions of Seoane's work from the Europa League Round of 16 matches against Young Boys in March where YBB twice beat the Werkself: The fact Gerardo was doing very good work at Bern didn't just become clear to us from those matches. He was very clever against us with his approach and line-up and he opted for a different style of play from the one the team was used to in the league. That shows he chooses the right approach at the right moment. That flexibility is important.
Gerardo Seoane shared his views with the media on…
…his first impressions: The first three days were very busy. My two assistant coaches Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas and I moved into the Lindner Hotel. We've had lots of meetings with different sections to talk about future cooperation. We have been able to get a picture of the great infrastructure at the club. And we finally got to meet the first players at the performance tests. I'm looking forward to everything.
…his targets for the coming days and weeks: The primary target now is get to know the team and give them an identity – not only in terms of football but also in respect of attitude and approach. Everybody knows Leverkusen have very good quality players. We have to bring about a feeling that it's tough to play against us – on and off the ball.
…the preferred training and playing style of the Swiss with Spanish roots: It's my job to field the best possible side from the players available. Here the offensive and defensive elements play an equally central role. These days, you can't afford to give anything away at any point in the game.
…the Bundesliga: Only ten teams play in the first division in Switzerland and that means every cub plays each other four times in a season. At some point, you know each other inside out. Of course, it's completely different here. In addition, the teams in the Bundesliga all have a top quality – both in their depth and approach. The past has already shown that all the teams in this league are capable of beating each other. The Bundesliga excites us Swiss – me included.
…new hierarchies and leadership figures in the team: We've lost experienced players in the Bender brothers and Aleksandar Dragovic. I expect several players in the squad to take the next step and fill the gap. We will give individual players more responsibility – we want to achieve that with individual discussions where we clearly set out our expectations. Of course, we want to bring in one or two other components. Overall we have a team that takes the initiative, is extremely hungry and brings the necessary aggression on the pitch at every point of the game.
…Patrik Schick, who scored five goals at Euro 2020: we've enjoyed the performance of all our players at the tournaments whether that's our Finns (Lukas Hradecky and Joel Pohjanpalo, ed.) or Exequiel Palacios who is still at the Copa America with Argentina. Patrik has shown what he's about and what his strengths are. I'm very happy to have two such great strikers available to me in him and Lucas Alario.
…his desire for fans at the BayArena: The situation without spectators is extremely difficult for everybody – above all for the fans themselves but also the players. Some of the younger ones have never played in front of a crowd. Even though the pandemic isn't over yet and we have to remain disciplined, hopefully they will gradually be able to come back to the stadiums. We all share that desire.
Monster Energy has been a partner in the Sponsors Club at Bayer 04 Leverkusen since the start of the 2023/24 season. Monster Energy has shown their products at Werkself home games on the LED advertising hoardings at the BayArena. Monster Energy activated the next stage of the partnership with the current Bundesliga league leaders for Bayer 04’s home game against Union Berlin in the middle of November. Monster Energy will continue to present themselves as a reliable and ambitious partner to Leverkusen fans through similar promotional events as at the game against Union Berlin.
Show moreBayer 04 involvement with the ‘Kältegang Leverkusen’ project continues this winter. The current Bundesliga league leaders and their fans again presented financial and in-kind donations to the homeless charity at home game against Borussia Dortmund (1-1).
Show moreThe Werkself remain unbeaten after the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 13. The one-sided game demanded a lot of strength of nerve and competitive spirit from Xabi Alonso's team. In the end, Victor Boniface rewarded the relentless attacking efforts of the league leaders against passive but efficient visitors. The Werkself review.
Show moreBayer 04 were held to a 1-1 draw by Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 13 in the Bundesliga. Julian Ryerson had put the visitors in front at a sold-out BayArena after only five minutes. Leverkusen would go on to dominate proceedings and finally get their deserved equaliser through Victor Boniface in the 79th minute. It’s a result that extends the Werkself’s unbeaten run in all competitions this season to 20 matches.
Show moreFor the 17th time, Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH has awarded the Volunteers Award for outstanding commitment to football in Leverkusen and the surrounding region. The three outstanding clubs in 2023 are BSV Roleber 1919, TuS 05 Oberpleis and SV 1924 Glehn. They will each receive prize money of €5,000.
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