Werkself review #SGAB04: New signings impress

Summary: Subs strike against nine men

Heavy hailstones and a storm meant a 40-minute interruption to the first half in Großaspach before the real action got under way, led once again by Patrik Schick. The Czech striker headed in Amine Adli’s cross with half an hour played, putting the Werkself in control. Their position was strengthened in the second half when the hosts, who hadn’t always sat back, self-destructed with two red cards. Coach Erik ten Hag introduced a number of debutants as the game wore on, with Ernest Poku setting up Arthur for the second after 74 minutes. Christian Kofane marked his first competitive outing for Leverkusen by slotting in the third, before Alejandro Grimaldo put away a penalty in the closing minutes to wrap things up. You can read the full match report HERE.

Reaction: “We can build on this”

Ten Hag appeared content but still sees plenty of areas for improvement going into the season. “At the end of the day, it’s a deserved win. We had good spells in the game but still have the potential to improve a few things,” said the Dutchman, who also had words of praise for his new additions: “They’ve integrated well. We can build on this.”

As for Arthur, he was beaming when talking to the media after scoring his first Werkself goal. “I can’t explain this feeling. I’ve worked a lot and waited a long time for this moment,” the Brazilian excitedly exclaimed. He thanked the 2,500 travelling fans for their vocal support on this “special day” for him. New club captain Robert Andrich added: “It’s very important to be into the next round. But we can still adapt our style of play a bit.”

What the papers say: “Bayer turn it on after the storm”

“A lacklustre win for Ten Hag and Leverkusen” was the headline in the Rheinische Post, who also highlighted the displays of debutant Poku and other attackers. The Leverkusener Anzeiger led with “Bayer turn it on after the storm”. kicker echoed the thoughts of Ten Hag and Andrich in seeing room for improvement: “The Werkself revealed issues at Sonnenhof Großaspach but then turned it on after two red cards for the fourth-tier side”.

Personnel: Debuts, maiden goals and 100 appearances

The first competitive fixture of the season saw several debuts for the Werkself with Mark Flekken, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahim Maza, Axel Tape, Kofane and Poku all getting their first real outing in Leverkusen colours. Kofane opened his scoring account and Poku got a maiden assist, after Arthur had scored his first goal in his 34th game for the club.

Grimaldo’s introduction at half-time saw him reach 100 competitive appearances for Leverkusen. His penalty took his tally for the Werkself to 17 goals and 33 assists, meaning he boasts a remarkable return of contributing a goal every other game in black and red.

Stats: Dominant display

Bayer 04 dominated the ball in Baden-Württemberg with 69 percent possession, plus a pass completion of 91 percent. It was almost even in terms of challenges against the amateur club, but a late flurry of attacking activity took the Werkself’s shot count to 20 compared to 12 for Großaspach.

And it wouldn’t be a Pokal fixture without another record as Bayer 04 extended their competition-best run of scoring to 37 straight cup games.

Looking ahead: Bundesliga returns

The Werkself kick off their Bundesliga campaign next weekend as Hoffenheim come to the BayArena on Saturday (3.30pm CEST). Their first away game is the same time the following week at Werder Bremen.