The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger divides their report on the 2-1 home win against Schalke 04 into categories including one entitled 'That was good': "The efforts of the new Leverkusen coaching staff to be more compact and adopt a more defensive approach to the game were modestly and industriously implemented."
Hannes Wolf made six changes in his first game in charge of the Werkself compared with the 3-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin, the last match for Peter Bosz in charge of the Black and Reds. That included the return of Lukas Hradecky in goal and another experienced leader came into a newly formed back three in the shape of Sven Bender. The latter was named man of the match by the KStA for the following reasons: "The key defender firstly provided the necessary organisation in the defence […]. On top of that, he won 67 per cent of challenges and completed 92 per cent of his passes."
Hradecky had missed seven games due to his Achilles injury. Sven Bender had been sidelined for five games before the clash with the Royal Blues. And Exequiel Palacios was able to look back at an even longer spell on the sidelines ahead of #B04S04: Across all competitions, the Argentinian watched nine games from the bench with his last Bundesliga appearance back on 1 November of last year. However, Wolf put 'Pala' straight into his first Leverkusen starting eleven – and that selection was justified with a commanding and energetic performance. The Rheinische Post correctly declares that the 22-year-old midfielder played with "aggressive tackling and great commitment."
The Express talks about a "comeback festival." On the one hand, due to the appearance of the previously mentioned Werkself trio and, on the other, because of the Schalke 04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The 37-year-old was in the Schalke starting line-up for the first time after injury and he scored on 81 minutes to make it 2-1 after goals from Lucas Alario (26’) and Patrik Schick (72’). Huntelaar is now Schalke's oldest ever goalscorer in the Bundesliga.
The Bild-Zeitung uses a short but important quote from the new Bayer 04 head coach Wolf. The 39-year-old said after his debut victory: "We can and should create more chances. It could be better. But I'm happy with the win." The kicker chooses the word "efficiency" used widely in football jargon.
Assistant coach Remzi Kahraman is leaving the Bayer 04 Women’s team with immediate effect to take up a new challenge abroad. The club has agreed to the 31-year-old’s request to leave, although his contract was originally due to run until 2027. A decision on his successor will be announced shortly.
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At the U19 European Championship in Wales, the Germany U19 national team lost their third and final group match 4-0 to Spain. Several regulars, including Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan to SV Elversberg), who had combined for four goals and assists in the two previous victories, did not feature,. Germany had already secured their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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At the end of June, Bayer 04 became the first team in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga to begin their pre-season preparations. As well as training sessions at the Kurtekotten facility, the players under coach Roberto Pätzold completed the customary series of performance diagnostics. Werkself-TV presents exclusive insights and player interviews from the first few days after the summer break.
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