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MAGIC OF THE (GERMAN) CUP
This time last year, Bayer Leverkusen’s 39-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and almost supernatural propensity for pulling late, late equalising and winning goals out of das collective hinterteil was the talk of Europe. With the end of the season hoving into view, Football Daily certainly wasn’t alone in wondering if Xabi Alonso’s side could go an entire season without losing a single game, while the young Basque in charge of them was being linked with Real Madrid, Liverpool and perhaps even a late run at the White House despite being just two years into his senior managerial career. While Leverkusen went on to secure a domestic double without tasting defeat, they ultimately came up short by being soundly beaten in the final of Bigger Vase, where Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman took a sledgehammer to their long unbeaten run, which lasted 51 matches, in the Italian club’s 3-0 win. It was the penultimate game of the German side’s season, and the only one they failed to win or draw.
This time around, Alonso’s men have considerably more Ls in the debit column and, having already been knocked out of Bigger Cup by Bayern Munich, also look likely to surrender their Bundesliga title to them barring the kind of late collapse it would, admittedly, be foolish to rule out from any side boasting a serial trophy-dodger such as Harry Kane in their lineup. Still, having been drawn against third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-final of the German Cup, Leverkusen could at least console themselves with a routine win and passage to a showdown in Berlin against VfB Stuttgart or RB Leipzig. Until, that is, the 40th best team in Germany went and beat them, coming from a goal down to do so. From surviving a relegation scrap last season to reaching their first ever DFB Pokal final, it marked quite the turnaround for the third-tier side, who have now sent four Bundesliga teams packing from a competition which certainly hasn’t lost its magic.
The equivalent of Charlton Athletic knocking out Arsenal to reach the FA Cup final at Wembley, Bielefeld’s fairytale 2-1 win was accepted with the kind of magnanimity and good grace you might have expected from Leverkusen chief suit Fernando Carro, who was quick to get his strop on over the arid state of the pitch at the SchucoArena. “The expectation was that we would deliver our best performance today, but we didn’t deliver,” he harrumphed. “Still, it annoys me that the pitch wasn’t watered. That’s a regulatory issue. The DFB should impose a penalty. That doesn’t work. That is not acceptable.”
Having taken the time to water the pitch with his salty tears before realising he sounded like a petulant loser of the sorest variety, Carro eventually found it within himself to congratulate Bielefeld. Or at least acknowledge that “they deserved to win”, a sentiment echoed by Alonso: “Everyone is disappointed but I have to congratulate Arminia Bielefeld,” he soothed. “They played better. We are disappointed, but that’s football.” Quizzed about the Saharan state of their playing surface, Bielefeld insisted they had followed the rules by watering it on the day of the game, pointing out that the diktats in question make no mention of when exactly on gameday the sprinklers ought to be turned on. It is to be hoped their groundstaff are paid overtime for making sure to be at their posts as the clock ticked past midnight on Monday, all the better to give it as much time as possible to dry out before kick-off.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Simon Burnton from 7.45pm BST for hot clockwatch coverage of Wednesday’s Premier League action, while Michael Butler will be on deck at 8pm for minute-by-minute updates from Liverpool 2-1 Everton.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
There was definitely a message to the players and it was as simple as it has always been: don’t accept being outworked by a team, which we were against Newcastle. If the stakes are so high, that is almost unacceptable” – Liverpool boss Arne Slot warns his team to get back on the gas in Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby.
Congratulations to Ryan Yates on providing (by his own admission) the most useless assist since Héctor Enrique set up Diego Maradona’s goal-of-the-century at the Azteca Stadium in 1986 with a hospital pass. The Forest man really must work on his soundbites though; his ‘I headed it in the six-yard box’ is humorous, but lacks the mischievous insouciance of the Argentinian’s great post-match comment that ‘with a pass like that he could hardly miss’” – Justin Kavanagh.
I am not someone who raises a great hue and cry over the language differences between American and British English. Our friends in the UK are more than welcome to take a lift from the ground floor rather than an elevator from the first. However, learning from yesterday’s Football Daily (News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition) that the UK has taken the term for the sacred American tradition of consuming excessive amounts of meat and alcohol before a game and turned it into a crime – or a non-crime, as ‘tailgating’ appears to be over there – I regret to inform you this is a bridge too far. Luckily, we now have precisely the administration to overreact to such grievances” – John Kozempel.
Wilf Davies and his eating habits (yesterday’s Football Daily) reminded me of the man who suffered stomach pains after eating only red, brown, pink, yellow, black and white snooker balls. The doctor told him to eat more greens” – Trevor Townson.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … John Kozempel. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we have them, can be viewed here.
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