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Champions League Portfolio: Bayer Leverkusen
10 Plays7 days ago
In this episode we dive into the chaos and excitement of Kasper Hjulmand’s Bayer Leverkusen ahead of their Champions League showdown with Newcastle United.
We break down how Leverkusen have rebuilt their squad after the Alonso era, why Hjulmand’s aggressive 3-4-3 makes them so unpredictable, and which key battles – from Aleix García in midfield to Álex Grimaldo’s roaming on the left and Patrik Schick’s threat in the box – could decide the tie.
Are Newcastle walking into a wounded giant… or a team ready to explode?
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Transcript
Newcastle United's Champions League Journey
00:00:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Newcastle United are heading to Germany on the 10th of December for a Champions League trip that feels like a throwback and a step into the unknown at the same time.
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The last time these two met in the competition, I was there. Back in 2003, Newcastle did the double over by Leverkusen winning 3-1 home and away.
00:00:34
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Who can forget that Alan Shearer hat-trick at St James' Park? Certainly no, I never will.
The Unpredictability of Leverkusen
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But this isn't Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen. It is definitely not the Leverkusen of 2003. There's no Stefan Keebling here.
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But there is Kasper Holmend and his side that have been blowing teams away since he took over. They have become one of the most predictable sides in Europe.
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because while they can blow teams away, they are capable of just completely collapsing. In this um podcast, we're going to be breaking down what makes Bayer Leverkusen so unpredictable and what that's going to mean for Newcastle United on the 10th of December.
00:01:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, start with a bit of context. A club that has been ripped up and rebuilt faster than you can say Leverkusen. To understand why they're so volatile, you kind have to go into the sheer chaos of their
Leverkusen's Structural Changes
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
summer. And it's almost worse than ours. Xavi Alonso left for Real Madrid after delivering that legendary 2023-24 title winning season. Eric Tenard came in when the Champions League draw was announced. i was licking my lips, but he lasted, well, three competitive games and then was sacked.
00:01:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
A Bundesliga record, actually, um so at least he's got that to backtrack. Boast, I guess. and Then on September 8th, Kasper Holman, fresh off his spell with Denmark, walks into a dressing room that barely resembles the champions of yesteryear.
00:02:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they've also lost Florian Vert and Jeremy Fringpont to Liverpool. It's alright lads, we can relate it on that one. Granit Xhaka to Sunderland. Pietro Hicampi to Arsenal, although that is on loan.
00:02:25
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Jonathan Tartar to Bayern Munich. And Victor Boniface on loan to Werder Bremen. After the Nigerian striker picked up 49 goals in the last three seasons.
00:02:37
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I'm certainly glad we won't be seeing him in the Champions League this season. But that's just the headline names. They've lost a few others as well.
Challenges Posed by Leverkusen's Style
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And in their place comes an entirely new spine, some you might be more aware of than others.
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Global Sports Podcast Network
Like of so of Mark Flecken and Gerald Quancer, both have come from the Premier League. like Bade, Malik Tillman, Alexi Garcia, Ernest Poku, Christian Kofan and Lucas Vazquez with the final one coming from Real Madrid.
00:03:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
The list is long of who they've brought in but they do seem to have hit the ground running under the new manager. And this is the first big reason that Leverkusen do feel so unpredictable because there are top side that are still learning who they are in real time.
00:03:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they're doing it in three different competitions, I'm sure. People remember when Eni Howe came in for Newcastle United. Very different side in those games against Manchester City and Leicester to what we were after the Leeds game, after the Everton game, etc.
00:03:38
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um But domestically, Leverkusen, it is working. After 10 games, they sit fifth. 24 goals scored and 14 conceded. Goal difference of plus 10 and six wins.
00:03:51
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I certainly would like that for Newcastle and the Premier League right now. But in Europe, it's a bit more of a rollercoaster for the German side. They've drawn with Copenhagen and PSV. They were smashed at home, 7-2 by PSG.
00:04:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then they did get a win 1-0 away at Benfica. um Although Benfica didn't look great at St. James' Park, winning at the Stadio de Louise is a different kettle of fish entirely and has to be admired. and But before you get into the tactics of this side, you can already tell it's one of huge talent, emotional swings because of all the massive turnover that they've had. And they are going to be very, very difficult to predict.
00:04:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
But what we do know is they're going to try and attack Newcastle.
Hulman vs Alonso: Tactical Comparisons
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Hulman's Blueprint I would probably describe it as structure with Chaos built in and planned. I'm not sure how you can plan for Chaos, but it's exactly what they do. He hasn't just torn up the blueprints like Eric Ten Hag tried to. The base is very similar to what they had under Alonso. They still play with that 3-4-3, 3-2-4-1, whatever you want to call it.
00:05:03
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and But the feel of the team is slightly different. So in possession, you'll see Kwanza, Tapsoba and Bares, the back three. Artur and Grimaldo flying high and wide as wing-backs.
00:05:15
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But the main thing is, after Grant Jacker has left, Alexi Garcia, signed from Girona, comes in, drops alongside the centre-backs almost as a back four.
00:05:26
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But he's like a Fabian Scher for Newcastle where He can ping the ball and he can do anything with the ball. um And then up top, they've got the proper number nine in Patrick Schick. Newcastle fans will be well aware of him. We've been linked with him almost as much much as what we were, Bastost.
00:05:45
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Thankfully, not that much, but it is it was getting close for a time. And then two tens, which could be a mix of Enes Poku, Mazza, Hoffman or Claudio Everett.
00:05:58
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I'll try that again. Etch every. I've still butchered it. From Manchester City, these young Argentines messing up their names almost as frequently as Newcastle were getting attacked by Brentford. Sorry if I've brought that back for anyone. But the overall aim for Bayer Leverkusen, keep the ball and then suddenly change the tempo with an almost vertical tiki-taka style of play and just go a bit more direct with it towards the end. Play vertically through Garcia and then bounce it wide and attack through the wing-backs.
00:06:33
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And it's that's where it really gets unpredictable because the fluidity of Bayer Leverkusen is
Key Players: Grimaldo and Garcia's Impact
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a real problem. And a lot of that comes from Alex Grabaldo. He isn't just a wing-back.
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And Hulman has said himself he didn't realise how much Grimaldo actually contributed in midfield to the point where he actually becomes an extra playmaker. which is you know you can see You'll see just how good Grimaldo is on the day, unfortunately, in my opinion. But he's already got 10-plus goals and assists from, let's be honest, he's not left wing-back. He is more of a left midfielder. But still,
00:07:13
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He's got, I think, 12 goals and assists combined already this season. That's absolutely fantastic. And he'd be a joy to watch in any colours. I just wish it was ours. and But Poco and Kofan can play wide and narrow, sprinting behind or coming short. And with that much pace on the wings, it sort of gives you it sort of forces you your full-backs to push back.
00:07:39
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create almost a flat back four in front of the goalkeeper, which gives the likes of Garcia and Grimaldo just time on the ball. And with that time on the ball, they can pick you apart and, well, tear you apart.
00:07:52
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Garcia, he has a bit of a habit of turning up on the edge of the box and trying to shoot from this distance. If you think of Granit Xhaka's role... Even at our local rivals, he's kind of that quarterback with the rocket shot. um An advanced John Joe Shelby, should we say. um i don't think I'm doing anyone any displeasure there. But out of position...
00:08:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's still the shape collapses into a bit more of a 5-2-3. Wingbacks can drop deep. You've still got the three centre-backs there. In the front three, we'll jump to press the the ball.
00:08:28
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Holman is obsessed, a bit like Eddie Howe, with counter-press in the moment they lose the ball. Newcastle do it a little bit less um in the present season than we have done in previous years.
00:08:40
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Leverkusen are just getting started with it. So hopefully them being so active and winning it back, maybe the it's not 100% clicked. I mean, it looks like it kind of has when you watch them play. Maybe not in the Champions League, but there's still a few mistakes that they make.
00:08:56
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And with them being so compact and brave high up the pitch, Newcastle can then cause them issues. It can suffocate teams. We've seen that enough. um Frankfurt is a great example. yeah just I think it's two shots on target in Hulman's debut.
00:09:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if you can do that against a team like Frankfurt, who are known for getting shots away, known for getting goals away, I know they lost Ekotike and a few others. um But Leverkusen's high press was working from the moment he walked in the door.
00:09:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
um But when it does fail, it can all fall apart in about three. five minutes um as we saw psg i mean psg are a team unlike any other and when your tactics do fail they do tend to punish you one or two bad turnovers in the structure of leverkusen shape can get ripped apart leading to wild scorelines like that you'll notice there are some games where they do end up conceding two or three relatively regularly um because they're built for control But they live on the edge.
00:09:55
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One bad pass. One mistimed pass. Press should I say. And the game explodes. So. Who are the key characters in the chaos?
00:10:06
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As I mentioned, Alexi Garcia. He's the metronome with a trigger finger. um If you're watching this, remember the name. He's the man that made Girona tick. Now he's gone. They've gone from Champions League to relegation candidates. And while he isn't the only reason, he is very um he was usually important to that side.
00:10:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's replaced Xhaka almost perfectly. um And when Bayern's coaching team did the like a little preview on it, They literally spoke about nullifying Alexi Garcia. And when, you know, Bayern realise that's the man you need to keep quiet,
00:10:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
think Newcastle know it as well. But he likes to drop deep, switches the ball out of the fullbacks and has a seriously good shot on him. But Newcastle's first line of pressure is going to be what stops them.
00:10:55
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If anything, Wissat or Voltemada, you would hope Wissat for this one because i think we do need to press a bit more extravagantly. Voltemada is not brilliant with the press.
00:11:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's brilliant at a lot of things. The press isn't one of them. Gordon and Murphy will need to have perfect attitudes. because they're going be doing a lot of running off the ball. And they'll spend most the night trying to cut passing lanes off.
00:11:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
But if he does get time and he does get space on the ball, it could be really, really dangerous for Newcastle. And the likes of Guamaraes and Tonali will have to be absolutely perfect in cutting out those balls as well. um And then if you keep Garcia quiet, there's obviously Grimaldo, who I mentioned.
00:11:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
They call him a full-back. They call him a wing-back. They call him a playmaker. They call him a goal-scorer. They call him a perfect player in some ways. um He is the most important player of this system without so without a shadow of a doubt. um And Leverkusen are tweaking their tactic every single week to try and get him on the ball more.
00:11:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sometimes he's hugging the touchline like a wing-back. Sometimes... He's an extra number 10. And sometimes he's arriving late at the back post to smash one in like a number nine. um It's a real tactical question of Newcastle. of And that's before you get to do you play Trippier or Tino?
00:12:15
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My personal preference would be Tino if he is fit. But Trippier's experience could prove to be really useful. But tactically, do you have your right back step out to aggressively close him down and keep the space tight?
00:12:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or do you have a wide midfielder like a Tonali or a Joe Linton? um More than likely Joe Linton because it is on Leverkusen's left-hand side. um Have them stay a little bit deeper and actually work the space.
00:12:42
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But if you get that matchup wrong...
Newcastle's Defensive Strategies Against Leverkusen
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Grimaldo can dominate and that's again another player that can cause you a lot of problems and then the other player that's a standout I mentioned him earlier Patrick Schick we all know about him and the defenders that we have thankfully will know all too well what it's like facing a clinical striker because we've had years of Alexander Azak in training and then Nick Valtomar has offered a completely different prospect and um For our centre-backs in training, I know Malik Chow won't have dealt with Izak particularly long, if at all, um because who knows if Izak decide to turn up for training. But Volta Marder gives a really unique style of play and Schick is probably one of the closest in football to him. um He can turn a half chance into a goal.
00:13:33
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He's actually brilliant on the ball for his size as well. And he's already joined top goal scorer for Leverkusen this season. He got the winner at Benfica. And he's very, very good at doing what he did against Benfica, sniffing out that defensive mistake and looping a header in. um Newcastle centre-backs are going to have to basically deal with Schick pinning them on the last line.
00:13:56
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Poguo, Kofan probably spinning off into the channels. And then Garcia or Grimaldo either running beyond or just sitting deeper to try and control the game. Whatever happens, it's messy. It's constant movement. But it only takes one lapse for them to concede a goal. um So we'll won't we won't just be planning for that one movement. We'll be planning for five or six different game plans.
00:14:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's probably a negative thing with the number of games that are coming up in such a short span. If you have seven days to prepare for a Leverkusen, it's probably a bit a lot easier. But three days, it's very difficult. um For all the players, though, they aren't complete. they're not ah They're not a perfect machine just yet. The unpredictability cuts both ways.
00:14:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've got a few examples as well. The first is the goals that they concede. 14 and 10 league games plus 7-goal hammering by PSG in Europe. That is a lot for a side that controls games.
00:14:58
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And there's a few patterns that Newcastle will actually be able to target. And the first of that is turnovers in those central areas. One thing Newcastle have struggled with this season is teams play being able just to play straight through the middle.
00:15:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Leverkusen will try and do that as well. um But... If Garcia or one of the 10s is robbed, the wing-backs are so high, the centre-backs are spread, there's space and abundance to attack. And all you have to do is look at that PSG game.
00:15:29
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They scored multiple times by just going straight through Leverkusen. um And I'm not saying Newcastle have the talent of Paris Saint-Germain, because we do not.
00:15:39
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But there is talent there that can capitalise. Set-pieces as well. you'd think with Jarrell Kwanza and Tapsoba, they'd be very, very good in the air. But the fact is, Bayer Leverkusen have conceded more set pieces than goals from open play in the Bundesliga this season, 5-4.
00:15:59
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So it does leave you thinking... ah Even Patrick Schick, by the way, aerial threat as well. They've got a lot of aerial presence, but when it comes to defending set players, they're not fantastic at all. So that is somewhere where Newcastle can definitely hurt them with maybe a damn burn, just like we did at Athletic Club.
00:16:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think Bayer Leverkusen are going to put a 5'8 player on them. um That's just a ah it's just my gut instinct, really. um Can't see what that is.
Exploiting Leverkusen's Weaknesses
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but Game management is the third...
00:16:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
That cup tie tie that they had against Paderborn is the the perfect example. They had the man advantage. They were leading 1-0, and yet they were still dragged to extra time, and they were minutes away from being knocked out of the DFB Pokal before they rescued it with goals in the 120th minute. Add to that, there was a ah really long list of injuries for the autumn. Palacios, Nathan Teller,
00:16:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Tapé, Vázquez, Fernández, Tillman. And when you get a team that constantly has to shift line-ups and rhythms... um Some of those players are edging back towards fitness. Vasquez and Nathan Teller returned to training recently. But stability isn't there.
00:17:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Think of Newcastle United during our first Champions League season, back where we just got injury after injury after injury. That is sort of what Leverkusen are dealing with. It's not on the same scale, but Newcastle are still well aware of what Bayer Leverkusen are doing right now. Up again, should I say, right now.
00:17:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So we spoke about Leverkusen. How does that clash Newcastle? We're flying in Europe, not so much in the league. In Europe, obviously, we still have Marseille to play before we take on Leverkusen.
00:17:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's almost a free hit given the last three games. of formula A at Union St. Gilles. 3 against Benfica. 2 against Athletic Club. I'd bite your hand off for a 1-0.
00:17:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've been very organised. aggressive in pressing in certain areas. We're happy to sit a little bit deeper, but when we get to those closed, compact spaces, and we do like to press where we can, and we're very aggressive with it, and we're happy to play at that Premier League tempo for 90 minutes.
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
um It sets up a bit of a fascinating contest, really, because Leverkusen are going to want the ball.
The Race for Points in Champions League
00:18:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're going to want to dictate. They're going to want to pin Newcastle in. But we'll let them have the ball.
00:18:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
We know that we'll have Anthony Gordon, hopefully, if he's fit, or Anthony Alanga, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Johan Wisser even, all there on the counter-attack. Tenali and Jolinton aren't slow in getting forward from midfield either. So Newcastle can really hit Leverkusen on the the counter-attack.
00:18:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
But then if Newcastle try and hit that counter-attack and they fail, like we have seen a number of times this season, trying to get out and fail and Leverkusen could absolutely rip Newcastle apart. And if it becomes an end-to-end game, it's going to be fascinating. um And who I think whoever manages to get better control of that midfield, I'm not talking possession, it's because you can have control of a game without being in too much without having too much possession, um will win the game. It'll be very much down to Gomares and Tonali, where they can close down Garcia and stop him having that much control of the game.
00:19:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And then i think when you look at it as well, there's the wider Champions League picture of, you know, we're trying to lock that top seeding spot. We're sitting sixth. As this goes out, probably drop after the Marseille away again. Let's be honest. But with PSV at home after this game, and we know that 16 points is normally enough.
00:19:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
We only need seven in those remaining points. four games. If you get a point against Marseille, that is six with PSV coming up. This is a brilliant chance to you know secure the spot in that top eight.
00:20:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And I think with that, you know we know we've got PSG on the final day. We know it's very unlikely that we finish in that top eight. But the chance to have one less game in the calendar at a very crucial time of the year is going to be a massive motivating factor for Eddie Howe.
00:20:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Leverkusen, on the other hand, they do have just one win in four. and They need every point they can get at the minute to make sure they reach the knockouts. 11 points should be enough, I think, to guarantee the playoff round.
00:20:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And Leverkusen have Manchester City when Newcastle play Marseille, but they finish off the campaign with Olympia, Icos and Villarreal. So I think they'll know that they'll want to have a spot secure before they play Villarreal.
00:20:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So they'll want you know they'll not want to go into that game thinking, we need a positive result. otherwise we're out the Champions League so they'll need they know they need to win here um and it could be a very very interesting game because of that because Newcastle don't need the win they'll be happy to sit for a draw Leverkusen need those three points but what'll happen when the two sides face off I've given my thoughts we'll have a match preview close at the time and to make sure you don't miss that one or tomorrow's match preview of the Manchester City game by Ian, Nick and Joe.
00:21:24
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Make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, like the video and all that jazz. I've been Michael Grimesall. Thank you for listening and I'll see you in a bit.