There is a positive overall summary for starters: If the Bundesliga season was assessed according to the calendar year then Bayer 04 would have secured qualification for the Champions League in fourth place – just as the final table stood in the summer. The Werkself have won 19 games and drawn five (ten defeats) since January after head coach Peter Bosz took charge under the Bayer Cross at the end of December last year with his team picking up 62 points. Only Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund clocked up more points in 2019. Equally amazing: Bayer 04 have finished in the top half of the table in the first half of a Bundesliga campaign for the fourteenth time in succession – only the record champions from Munich have a longer run (28).
Since the start of the year, Bayer 04 have scored 66 goals and conceded 44 in all competitions. Three games played a significant part in the tally: In the second half of last season, Bayer 04 won 5-1 away to Mainz and Hertha Berlin. In addition, there was the memorable 6-1 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt. All three matches make the top ten of the biggest-ever home or away wins for the Werkself.
One part of the successful formula this year has been the pressing of the Black and Reds: Opposing teams only had a 75% completion rate for passes against Bayer 04, which was the lowest against any other Bundesliga side. And there is also an impressive value in terms of possession: With the exception of FC Bayern, no other Bundesliga club has retained the ball more effectively (64%).
Julian Brandt left the Black and Reds to head for Dortmund in the summer, Dominik Kohr joined Eintracht Frankfurt and Tin Jedvaj went out on loan to FC Augsburg. Incomers were Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri (both from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Moussa Diaby (Paris St Germain) and Daley Sinkgraven (Ajax). Adrian Stanilewicz moved up to the first team squad from the U19s. The first new signing for next year is already agreed: The Argentinian Exequiel Palacios is set to join the Werkself from River Plate at the beginning of January.
Kevin Volland can delight in being the top goalscorer for the Werkself over the past 12 months. The striker has found the back of the net 15 times for the Leverkusen since January. He is ahead of Kai Havertz (14), Lucas Alario (13), Leon Bailey (8) and Julian Brandt (7) who joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer. The goalscorers' list for 2019 also includes Charles Aránguiz (4), Karim Bellarabi (3), Jonathan Tah (2) plus Sven Bender, Wendell, Paulinho and Moussa Diaby – first French goalscorer for the Werkself – with one each. The Werkself also benefited from eight own goals scored by opposing teams.
Central defender Sven Bender also had one of his best half seasons under the Bayer Cross. The 30-year-old not only completed 94% of his passes to a team-mate (fifth best in the league) but he also made the most passes of all players in Germany's top flight with a total of 1,341.
Hopefully these sorts of numbers will continue in 2020.
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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