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.
BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
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