Dear old Finn! The pre-season has not gone to plan for either of the Scandinavians in the Werkself squad to date: Lukas Hradecky had to undergo an operation to remove a cyst from his jaw in the middle of July and Joel Pohjanpalo had impaired circulation in his ankle. Instead of training with the team, the focus is now on completing a tailored and low-key rehab programme. At least Hradecky is with the group in Salzburger Land. At yesterday's training session in the shadows of the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See, he did not miss the opportunity to send a German-Finnish message to his club and country team-mate via the club social media channels. It didn't take long for the Germano-Finnish answer to arrive from Leverkusen...
Coach Heiko Herrlich had to wait twenty minutes for his players to appear for the second training session of the day. The reason was not an inability to tell the time or a lack of discipline amongst the Werkself but, rather, the high density of traffic on the way to the training ground from Kaprun to Zell am See (according to the traffic news it was due to the increased traffic to and from the lakes). The return journey to the team hotel after the first session took longer than planned due to a traffic jam caused by a road accident – with high temperatures again it was fortunate to be in the air-conditioned team bus. For many car drivers the stop and go in the blazing sun was an arduous affair. By the way: The focus in the third day of training was again on match tactics.
Apart from the lasting moisture on the skin caused by the heat, the summer weather was also at the root of something else: An obligatory, idyllic group photo on the pitch at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See with a wonderful Alpine panorama in the background. That memorable image has become a fine tradition since the first summer training camp for the Werkself in Salzburger Land five years ago. Following the team, coach and staff photo, the travelling fans had the chance to have their photo taken with the squad.
Since Julian Brandt has played for the Werkself, his summers have mostly been dominated by football: Whether that's at U20 or full international tournaments. It was the same procedure again this time but, in a change from previous years, Heiko Herrlich gave him him four weeks off rather than three. Speaking to the media after lunch, Brandt spoke about how much good the days off had done him. Although he found it tough getting back into the groove on Monday, Brandt said, " Particularly during the first two training sessions I felt stiff as a board," reported the self-deprecating 22-year-old. Now he is finding it ever easier to train – also due in part to the fact he worked on his fitness at home.
The Werkself pros had the evening off tonight. After the evening meal, Rambo Özcan took time out to cross his fingers for his home country club Sturm Graz in the second leg of the Champions League qualifier against Ajax Amsterdam. Other team-mates also watched the game. In the end, it was the underdogs from the Austrian top flight who lost 3-1 to the favourites.
Talking about football. Bayer 04 play Turkish top division team Istanbul Basaksehir FK at 17.30 CET on Thursday at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See. The traffic conditions described above should be taken into account for anybody travelling to the game – that applies to the Werkself and the supporters. Another piece of information for all fans far and wide: The fifth pre-season friendly for Herrlich and his men will again be broadcast live by Bayer 04 TV, on www.bayer04.de and also on Facebook in Germany. And one more thing: The Werkself will not have an open training session tomorrow morning as planned – instead they will complete a recovery session at the team hotel. Of course, to also make sure they have enough energy for the friendly in the evening...
In the evening, Bayer 04 invited the travelling journalists from back home to the traditional 'press meal' at the 'Jagawirt' Restaurant in Kaprun . Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, thanked the media for their positive cooperation. It was a first for the new club boss. The event also provided an opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed environment. Carro arrived at the team hotel on Sunday. Not just to have numerous conversations with members of staff. The 54-year-old also used the training camp to get to see the Werkself for himself at every training session.
Jonathan Tah has been one of the absolute key players at the Werkself for years – and the performances of the 24-year-old central defender for the club almost secured him a place in Germany's final squad for the World Cup. The Hamburg-born defender spoke about the Germany team in his live interview with Bayer 04 TV – and he also answered a wide range of questions from the fans. But that's not all – in the Bayer 04 Instagram story, Jona provided funny to brilliant insights into the team . On top of that, using the hashtag #B04inAustria (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) it is possible to keep up-to-date with the Werkself in Salzburger Land round the clock. It's worth a look. On Facebook there is also the first edition of '04 wins' with Kevin Volland and Julian Baumgartlinger – bound to raise a smile or two.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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