The Black and Reds go into 2019 still in three competitions for the first time in three years. At the end of the year, we look back at the stats and facts from the first half of the season:
The Werkself have really got stuck in as the year draws to an end. In the last six Bundesliga fixtures, the Werkself have picked up 13 points, which is more than the eleven earned in the first eleven games of the season – only Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg (16 each) and Borussia Dortmund (15) have been more successful in the league recently. And the Werkself have once again shown that the BayArena can be a fortress for the Black and Reds: The last three home games ended in victory. The last time that happened was in May two years ago.
On the last matchday of the first half of the season, Bayer 04 secured a 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin to move up to eighth place – just one goal worse off than the team from Berlin on the same points. Nevertheless, Kevin Volland, Kai Havertz and co. have made an historic achievement: The Werkself have finished in the top half of the German top flight after the first half of the season for 13 campaigns in succession – of all rival clubs across the country, only record champions Bayern Munich can look back at a longer run. It's even more impressive that such consistency has been achieved by just two clubs: FC Bayern, in the top half of the winter break this term for the 27th time in succession, and Bayer 04 (17 seasons; between 1985 and 2001).
In the first half of the season Werkself supporters have been able to celebrate a total of 47 goals: six of them in the DFB Cup, 15 in the Europa League and 26 in the Bundesliga – matching the position in the table, the ninth best return. The goals have been scored by 15 different players – that's already more than in the past two (half) seasons. Across all competitions, the Black and Red goalscorers lists is as follows: Kai Havertz (9 goals), Karim Bellarabi (8), Kevin Volland, Lucas Alario (bpth 7), Julian Brandt (3), Aleksandar Dragovic, Tin Jedvaj, Dominik Kohr, Mitchell Weiser (all on 2), Leon Bailey, Lars Bender, Julian Brandt, Jonathan Tah, Isaac Kiese Thelin, Paulinho and Wendell (all on 1). The providers were Brandt, Havertz, Volland (all on 6), Bailey (5), Bellarabi, Lars Bender, Kohr, Weiser (all on 3), Alario, Charles Aránguiz (both 2) plus Sven Bender, Dragovic, Kiese Thelin and Wendell (all on 1).
There is no question that the first half of the season has run like clockwork for Kai Havertz: Goals, assists, his debut for Germany and non-stop gushing praise. But the 19-year-old has absolutely deserved the accolades due to his outstanding performances. It is no coincidence, Heiko Herrlich rarely left out the Werkself number 29: With 1,943 minutes on the pitch he leads the Black and Red top three – ahead of Wendell (1,813) and Lukas Hradecky (1,800). The least time spent on the pitch by a member of the first team squad was the eight minutes for the Poland U20 international Jukub Bednarczyk in the final group match in the Europa League.I
The biggest win for the Werkself came on matchday nine with a 6-2 victory away to Werder Bremen – it was also the first and last time six goals were scored in a league fixture under Heiko Herrlich. The biggest defeat for the Werkself came a week later – with a 4-1 reverse at home to TSG Hoffenheim on matchday ten.
Following last weekend’s big game against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women face another exciting challenge as they visit Hoffenheim to kick off Matchday 3 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday (kick-off: 18:30 CEST).
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Under the slogan ‘Holidays without War’, 60 children from war-torn Ukraine took part in the summer camp organised by the German-Ukrainian association Blau-Gelbes Kreuz in Leverkusen and the surrounding area in August. The children aged between 10 and 14 – many of whom have lost their parents in the war – come from the Ukrainian twin towns of Leverkusen, Cologne and Monheim am Rhein: Nikopol, Dnipro and Volodymyr. Bayer 04, Bayer AG and TSV Bayer 04 supported the camp to mark its 10th anniversary, enabling even more children and young people than in previous years to spend a few carefree days’ holiday away from the war in the Rhineland.
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Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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