"You could see Würzburg were the fitter team. But we didn't take account of this match during the last few days of intensive training," said Herrlich. Once again he had to do without the Confed Cup participants (Bernd Leno, Julian Brandt, Benjamin Henrichs, Chicharito, Charles Aránguiz) and the U21 European champion (Dominik Kohr) for the friendly in Hollenbach in Baden-Württemberg.
Herrlich calls for more commitment
The exertions of the past ten days on the training ground were particularly evident in the second half. The opposite was true for the opponents from Würzburg who were at their end of the pre-season with just eight days to go before the start of the third division campaign. In spite of the difference in terms of training the new Bayer 04 coach did not seek to defend the performance of his team against a physically strong Würzburg side: "From a team like Bayer Leverkusen you can expect them to put up more of a fight. In my opinion we were too passive on the pitch."
The Werkself did make a decent start to the game organised by joint kit suppliers JAKO and they went on to create lots of chances in the first half. Against the run of play, Herrlich's team went 1-0 down on 23 minutes to a goal from Björn Jopek. The Werkself remained undeterred. Driven on by the energetic Kai Havertz and Joel Pohjanpalo, Bayer 04 had the better of Würzburg up to half-time but were unfortunate not to convert any of the chances created. Bayer 04 went into half-time 1-0 down.
Würzburg build on good start
Herrlich made three changes at half-time bringing on keeper Niklas Lomb, Stefan Kießling and Leon Bailey. Würzburg built on their solid start in the second 45 minutes and they gradually wrested control of proceedings with Marco Königs doubling the score on 54 minutes. Dominic Baumann then extended the lead to 3-0 with a goal from a free kick.
Herrlich made another four changes in the closing stages. The Kickers continued to control the game they focused on playing on the break. The Werkself did create more chances but were unable to overcome Würzburg on the night.
The Werkself will complete a recovery training session on Saturday morning with new signing Sven Bender joining in for the first time. The next friendly is on Wednesday (18.30 CET). The third pre-season fixture sees the Werkself play Regional League side Bonner FC at the Sport Park Nord in Bonn. Tickets are available now for 13 euros and 10 euros for concessions.
Bayer 04: Özcan (Lomb 46’) – Bednarczyk (Frey 72’), Ramalho, Dragovic, Wendell (Abu Hanna 63’) – Yurchenko (Bailey 46’), Baumgartlinger – Havertz (Akkaynak 72’), Bellarabi (Schreck 63’) – Pohjanpalo, Volland (Kießling 46).
Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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Issa Traoré is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Slovakian top-flight side AS Trencin. The club has loaned the centre-back out for one year to this year’s ninth-placed team in the Slovakian league.
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