Finding second place in the Bundesliga next season will likely also be quite difficult for Leverkusen if the quality of their players has declined. Because a team like Dortmund is a team that frequently finishes in the top four of the Bundesliga, Leverkusen will have to compete fiercely for a top-four finish, as finishing second will not be easy for Leverkusen next season. I have even more confidence in Dortmund for that position, as I currently still doubt Leverkusen's ability to secure that position by the end of next season.
Bayer Leverkusen’s management should be responsible for any outcome next season because they played a vital role in letting the team down. They let Alonso leave the team without signing quality players before he left, they allowed their best players to leave the team in almost all the important positions, and they let Xhaka leave for a smaller team, Florian Wirtz for a bigger team, and so on; this is something that should not be done within one summer because it will definitely affect the team’s overall performance in all competitions.
Now, the main pressure will be on Eric ten Hag because he is their new manager; many people are still remembering how he ended at Manchester United and will make sure they use it against him if he fails at Leverkusen, but he can do better because he has made some attempts at signing some players. Let’s see how it goes for him and the team, and let’s always remember that teamwork plus tactics are the most important thing every team needs.