The Curse of G:TB is NOT a Thing

At the risk of an epic jinx, or more accurately, the risk of bad timing when something inevitable happens, we come today to talk about one of the more remarkable runs of form in major European soccer history.

Bayer Leverkusen's Alex Grimaldo might be
the best free kick taker in all of Europe

Bayern Munich are the undisputed apex predator of German footy. The Bavarian giants have won the Bundesliga title 32 of the 52 times it's been contested, and the past 11. They've won the DFB-Pokal, Germany's open cup competition, 20 times - no other team has won more than six. Though they were fortunate to take last year's trophy (as Dortmund tied mid-table Mainz and handed the title to Munich), there were no signs that the mighty squad would do anything other than cruise to a 12th consecutive championship. In fact, they looked to get even stronger when they added English superstar Harry Kane to a prodigiously talented roster.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Salatschüssel, in one of those happenstances that sport is so good at delivering every so often. 

Bayer Leverkusen was founded 119 years ago, and has been in top division of German football for the last 45 years. They've finished as runner-ups five times, most recently in 2010-11, and have never won the league. The won the Pokal in 1992-93, which is by far the greatest moment in club history, except perhaps winning the UEFA Cup (the second-tier continental tournament at the time) in 1986-87. Over the past several years, Die Werkself (the company's team, so known because the team was associated with the Bayer pharmaceutical company at it's founding) has finished fifth, fifth, fourth, sixth, third, and sixth in the Bundesliga, solid and competitive. But there was nothing at all over that time that hinted at what was to come this year.

Or maybe not nothing at all. In October 2022, legendary midfielder Xabi Alonso (who played at Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich and earned 114 caps for Spain) took over as Leverkusen's manager. At the time, the team found itself fighting a relegation battle, second-to-last in the league with a quarter of the season already played. Alonso's possession-based style and innovative tactics proved effective in his first high-level coaching stint, and Leverkusen easily escaped relegation and rose all the way to sixth at the end of the season.

Leverkusen lost, 3-0, to VfL Bochum, on the last matchday of the 2022-23 season. Alonso's team haven't lost a match in any competition since. They've won 22 and tied four in 26 Bundesliga matches, and have advanced to the semifinals of the DFB Pokal and the quarterfinals of the Europa League (the successor to the UEFA Cup). Last weekend, they were on the brink of defeat in their Europa League Round of 16 match against Azerbaijani side Qarabağ FK, when they did this:

All told, Leverkusen haven't lost in 38 consecutive matches, breaking the German mark of 33 previously held by Bayern Munich. With eight matches left in the Bundesliga, their 10-point margin means they're likely to break Munich's stranglehold on the division, although stranger things have definitely happened.

Alonso's success at Leverkusen has resulted in a lot of speculation about his future, which was amplified as soon as Jurgen Klopp announced his resignation from Liverpool. It's an easy sell for Liverpool supporters, who remember Alonso's 143 matches and 2004-5 Champions League title with the Reds and see his style as complementary to Klopp's heavy metal football.

Leverkusen are the only first division club still alive in the Pokal, which makes them odds-on favorites to lift their second cup. They face Premier League West Ham in a two-leg Europa League knockout April 11 and 18, which represents the toughest challenge they'll face until they go to Borussia Dortmund in league play on April 21. They'll almost certainly lose one of the maximum of 14 matches still to come. 

Which will NOT be our fault. Don't @ us, Leverkusen fans. We're celebrating you, too.