10 February 2024 , 20:27
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If Xabi Alonso can at last discard Bayer Leverkusen’s cruel ‘Neverkusen’ tag, then it might just lead him back to Anfield.
And on the basis of Saturday night’s thumping 3-0 humbling of German champions Bayern Munich, which has put the Spaniard’s high-flying side - who have never won the German top-flight crown - in control of their Bundesliga destiny, Liverpool chiefs can't afford to wait to get a deal done.
Leverkusen are yet to lose this season, winning 26 of their 30 matches, scoring 90 goals in the process before Germany’s biggest club arrived on their doorstep in the country’s match of the season. Bayern were meant to be their biggest test, the team against whom their title hopes would come unstuck.
Instead, Harry Kane barely had a kick and Thomas Tuchel’s side were efficiently disposed of at the BayArena, outworked and outmanoeuvred by Alonso’s men, who lived up to their ‘Werkself’ nickname and moved five points clear at the top of the table.
"We did a great job," said Alonso. "The discipline and compactness of the team was great. The whole performance was great. All players showed top performances. We had enough chances and they had almost no chances.
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"I have a great team, great players - I can't do it alone. We have great energy and that's the key. There is no secret. The players believe and that's what we want."
Ironically, it was on-loan defender Josip Stanisic who opened the scoring for the hosts, finding the net after 18 minutes against his parent club, turning home Robert Andrich’s driven effort from close range.
With Joshua Kimmich omitted in midfield - Tuchel isn’t a fan - Bayern were insipid. Plenty of possession but severely lacking inspiration. Tuchel’s decision to mirror Bayer’s back three - with Eric Dier between Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae - wasn’t working. Kane, red hot this season, had to drop deeper and deeper to see the ball, while former North London rival Granit Xhaka was dictating for the hosts.
Four minutes into the second half, a flowing move from back-to-front saw ex-Southampton and Burnley star Nathan Tella slide through Alex Grimaldo, and the Spaniard fired high into the roof of the net beyond Manuel Neuer.
Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer 04 Leverkusen celebrates making it 2-0 (Hollandse Hoogte/REX/Shutterstock)
It was a dismal night for Harry Kane (Getty Images)Embarrassingly, with the game already gone, Neuer elected to go forward for a corner in the 94th minute, only for Bayer to counter and ex-Celtic man Jeremie Frimpong to score from distance. A despairing Leroy Sane, outstanding this season but poor here, took his frustration out on the in-goal camera after being unable to stop the ball crossing the line.
On his side's title chances, Alonso added: "We'll talk in May. We have to be realistic and keep our feet on the ground."
Bayern managed just one shot on target all night - a long-range effort from Noussair Mazraoui in the 26th minute - and were comprehensively outplayed.
"To be honest, I'm p****d off," said Bayern’s Thomas Muller, keen to place the blame on himself and his team-mates rather than ex-Chelsea boss Tuchel. “We’re much braver in training. We lacked courage. Sometimes you have to speak about the players. It’s not just about the coach. We have to step up.”
Tuchel, speaking to Sky Germany, responded: “He’s not wrong. We need to improve. We need to live up to the standards that Thomas rightly sets."
In Leverkusen, Alonso has set a new standard. If he wasn’t already, he’s now the clear No.1 pick to replace Jürgen Klopp on Merseyside.
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