Leverkusen will certainly look different this season than last season. They've lost their manager and four key players. So, with new coach Erik Ten Hag, Leverkusen hasn't made a significant impact, even losing their first match. A loss in their opening match will certainly have a significant impact on subsequent matches, lowering their confidence, and this will undoubtedly affect Ten Hag.
If we talk about Leverkusen competing with Muenchen, they certainly won't. Leverkusen's mere third- and second-place finish is already an extraordinary achievement for Ten Hag. Likewise, Dortmund hasn't shown any signs of being a team capable of competing with Muenchen this season. It could be said that this season's Bundesliga trophy is Muen again. Betting on teams like Leverkusen and Dortmund is more comfortable when betting on total goals.
However, since it's still the beginning of the season, it's very realistic to expect Leverkusen to perform consistently going forward, allowing them to compete closely with Bayern Munich at the top of the table. If Leverkusen finishes in second or third place this season, I don't think it's too bad. I mean, that would still mean Ten Hag has managed Leverkusen successfully, as they've undergone squad depth changes and lost several key players.
Ten Hag will certainly make a maximum effort to get three points in the next match, and on paper, they should be able to defeat Werder Bremen. Overall, I actually agree that Bayern Munich seems likely to retain the trophy this season, Leverkusen and even Dortmund don't seem fully ready to be title contenders.