In the previous seasons, Leverkusen still performed very well and they always competed hard with Bayern Munich but this season I don't know why I feel that Leverkusen may not be able to compete as hard as in the previous seasons with Bayern Munich. The biggest reason behind this is the change of manager. Before that, Xabi Alonso was in charge of Leverkusen who is a very experienced and very tactical manager but after he left for Real Madrid, former Manchester United manager Ten Hag has taken over the reins of this team. I have not seen Ten Hag implement such a good strategy for Manchester United so when he manages a new team, naturally I have doubts about his strategy and I feel that he may make Leverkusen worse like Manchester United.
Looking at the points Leverkusen collected last season, actually, they experienced a significant drop in performance, a 21 point difference from the previous season when they won the trophy. Fortunately, they were still able to finish as runners-up and even spent a few weeks in a tight race with Bayern Munich at the top of the table.
We realize that many people are currently doubting Leverkusen chances of winning a trophy next season. The departure of Xabi Alonso, followed by several key players, is the main reason, and that reason sounds very logical. Essentially, I share the same thought. However, it feels unfair to judge Ten Hag too early based on his poor reputation with Manchester United. Who knows, Ten Hag might be able to live up to expectations next season, we'll have to wait and see.
Manchester United gave this manager a lot of time and gave him the freedom to buy players as he wanted but this manager has not been able to improve Manchester United club. He is coming to Leverkusen so maybe we can imagine that he will adapt well in the new league and he will be successful for Leverkusen but the reality is that it will not be that easy for him. This club has been doing quite well in the local league for a few seasons and in the season before the season that just ended, this club won the league title by defeating Bayern Munich and they also qualified for the Champions League for the first time. This team will play in the Champions League in the future and to ensure the Champions League next season, they will have to perform well in the local league.
Based on how Leverkusen performs in the first few matches after the start of the new season, we will get a clear idea of how effective this manager is for Leverkusen.