In answer to the question of the highlight of his first six months at Leverkusen, the Swiss boss immediately thought of 21 August, the day of his first Bundesliga match at the BayArena. "For everyone, the game against Mönchengladbach was the first home game in front of fans after months dominated by the pandemic. That felt really great," said Seoane, who was able to celebrate a convincing 4-0 win along with a crowd of 15,105.
The victory over the Foals was the start of a run of wins – the only match ending in defeat was the spectacular encounter with Borussia Dortmund (3-4). This period also included the 4-0 victory at Celtic in the Europa League group stage. "One of those great European nights," said Seoane on Thursday briefly indulging himself in memories.
But the 43-year-old quickly turned his attention to the future just before the end of the year as the first match in 2022 against Union Berlin is on 8 January.
Seoane is only missing Julian Baumgartlinger through injury at the moment. The Austria international underwent an operation on a knee injury in the summer and will shortly continue with his rehab. Edmond Tapsoba, Odilon Kossounou are also ruled out as they are preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations. Piero Hincapie is stuck at home in Ecuador due to a positive Covid-19 test.
That means the Werkself are currently without three central defenders. "When something happens it all comes at once and in one position. That was the case with the strikers in the autumn," said Seoane, who – as we know him in the meantime – sees a challenge under the circumstances. And that's one that the coach is certainly can master with the players and his fellow coaches and staff.
One role in the defensive thoughts of Seoane involves U19 central defender Sadik Fofana alongside established players in the squad (Jonathan Tah, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Panos Retsos). The 18-year-old has played the full 90 minutes in all the U 19 Bundesliga West matches so far this term. "He has a good physique, stature, height and the ball-winning ability of a defender," said the Werkself head coach in praise of the youngster. He also emphasised: "But he hasn't been at the top level of football for long and has to develop over the next 18 months." In addition, there are considerations of bringing other defensive U19 players into training sessions or converting another Werkself player from a different position into a central defender.
In spite of the players missing in defence, Seoane believes his team is well prepared for the start of the second half of the season. One reason is the "strong characters" within the team. The Swiss coach: "The players are determined to get better and make progress. I feel that every day." In addition, there is a good team spirit between all the management and players.
Lukas Hradecky and Co. face normal Bundesliga schedules in January and February in contrast to the closing stages of 2021. The first double fixture week for the Black and Reds comes in March. "That's new for us, it can have an effect on being fresh – but doesn't have to," declared the Werkself head coach. "But there is also the chance of working more with the team during the week. And the physical strain is different when there isn't a match every three days."
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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