Two Shots, Two Goals, Too Much Bayer – A Night in Athens to Forget

If you’ve ever wondered whether 738 passes are enough to win a Champions League game, here’s your answer: absolutely not. Welcome to the strange and beautiful world of Bayer 04 Leverkusen – the only club in Europe capable of controlling a match from start to finish and still walking off the pitch with a big fat zero on the scoreboard.

It ended 0:2 in Athens, not because Olympiacos were the better team, but because they were the colder one. Two shots on target, two goals, job done. Bayer, on the other hand? Possession, pressing, pretty patterns – and as toothless in front of goal as a retired Pomeranian after dental surgery.

This was classic Werkself: dominant, determined, delightful to watch – and completely allergic to scoring. Sure, it was Matchday 7 (because UEFA group stages are now more confusing than Greek tax law), but it felt like the first time this team really played like a knockout contender. Just without the result.

There were positives, of course. Blaswich made his debut, Vázquez returned to the starting XI, and Aleix García pinged 120 passes like a metronome on steroids. But for all the midfield orchestration, it was once again a masterclass in how to lose a game you’re supposedly in charge of.

Olympiacos did what Bayer couldn’t: they made their moments count. Meanwhile, the Werkself wasted chance after chance, running into Tzolakis – who now probably qualifies for honorary citizenship in Leverkusen, given how often he’s ruined our evenings.

And so we fans are left in familiar territory: proud of the performance, frustrated by the result, and stuck somewhere between belief and the usual Bayer blues. Yes, we’ll keep the faith – it’s part of the deal. But it’d be nice to get goals and points alongside the pretty passing charts.

Next up? Bremen at home. Perfect chance to show that this team can do more than just *almost* score. If not, we’ll be back here talking about pass accuracy and “expected goals” while the Champions League slips further away. Again.

Sinsheim? More like Sinn-crisis

There are games you just want to forget — and then there’s the 0-1 loss in Hoffenheim. A match so uneventful that even the stadium beer probably fell asleep mid-pour. Sure, you could say, “Tight game, narrow loss, it happens.” But two games into the new year and two straight defeats? That’s not “just bad luck,” that’s a full-blown wobble — and we might want to check if someone hit the panic snooze button.

The idea wasn’t bad, to be fair: lots of possession, control, minimal chaos — exactly the strategy you’d want against a team like Hoffenheim, who prefer counterattacks and set pieces. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a free-kick after just nine minutes. Flekken looked like he was briefly daydreaming about brunch. The ball went in, and so did our early optimism.

From then on? Plenty of effort, zero punch. It was almost tragicomic how toothless we looked when we did manage to reach their box. Maybe someone forgot to mention that *shooting* is allowed. Schick had the best chance, but when you strike the ball like it’s a balloon at a kid’s party, you're not going to trouble a Bundesliga defense.

And as if things weren’t already dreary enough, both Tella and Flekken went off injured. Of course. Because nothing says “happy away day” like two forced subs and no goals. On the plus side, Janis Blaswich made his debut — calm, composed, didn’t do anything dramatic, which frankly feels like a small miracle these days.

Now the players and coach are all saying the usual: "We have everything we need to be more stable." Great. But right now, this team has about as much stability as a wobbly IKEA table without instructions. Four goals conceded against Stuttgart, now this lifeless display in Hoffenheim — that’s not a bump in the road, that’s a detour into mediocrity.

But hey, we fans are built different. We live off hope and caffeine. Champions League in midweek, Bremen at home next. Maybe — just maybe — it’ll click again. And if not? Well, being a Bayer 04 fan has always been a mix of faith and frustration. Let’s just hope this rough patch doesn’t turn into a full-blown.

Roof Fail and Northern Gales: Leverkusen Trip to Hamburg Blown Off Course

Great. You mark your calendar for a spicy midweek cup clash under the floodlights — HSV vs. Bayer 04, a proper throwback with a bit of football romance — and what do we get? Not goals, not drama, not even a dodgy VAR call. We get… melting snow.

The Volksparkstadion, that concrete tribute to 90s nostalgia and eternal second division dreams, got shut down last minute due to *“static risks caused by thawing conditions.”* Translation: the roof couldn’t handle a bit of wet snow. Apparently, the sudden northern heatwave turned the snow on the stadium roof into slushy point loads that had some poor structural engineer waving the red flag. Game off. No plan B. Just good old Hanseatic crisis management.

Of course, safety first — we don’t want Robert Andrich getting flattened by a rogue icicle, or Kasper Hjulmand trying to explain in the post-match presser how our tactical plan melted along with the roof. But really, you’d think a Bundesliga stadium might be ready for a bit of German January. Instead, fans who took time off work, booked travel and braved the cold got a nice look at some wet scaffolding and a long ride home.

Meanwhile, back in Leverkusen, we’d probably play through volcanic ash and alien invasion if the DFL asked nicely. But Hamburg? Cancelled due to weather. It fits the club somehow — always somewhere between promotion dreams and existential crisis, now with bonus roof drama.

Now it’s up to the DFL to squeeze in a new date between our packed Bundesliga calendar, a looming Pokal semi-final, and whatever European adventures await. We’re already looking forward to the replay — maybe on a Wednesday at 11:30 AM, clear skies, 27 degrees, and no roof at all. Just to be safe.

New Year, Same Old Frustration: Cheers from the Horror Zone

Well then, happy new year. If you thought Bayer 04 would kick off 2026 with a bang, you were technically right – just not the kind of bang we hoped for. A 1–4 home defeat to Stuttgart. At home. In the BayArena. And honestly, the game was over before halftime. Stuttgart used to be our favourite punching bag. Now we’re their life coach, helping them work through past traumas with generous gifts. Therapy in red and black.

The Werkself looked less like a team returning from a focused winter training camp and more like they'd been on a mindfulness retreat. Yes, we had possession. But ideas? None. Passion? Missing. Physicality? Only from Stuttgart. That post-match honesty from Grimaldo and Quansah? Appreciated, but painfully telling. When your own players are apologising like they broke your favourite vase, it says a lot.

Sure, we were missing players – Africa Cup, injuries, the usual suspects. But that doesn’t explain why the whole squad seemed to be playing with the handbrake on. Stuttgart was simply sharper, hungrier, more switched-on – and, let’s face it, smarter.

There were some positives, if you squint: Fernández back in the starting XI, Grimaldo’s penalty taking his stats up a notch, and the second half at least looked like professional football again. Small steps, we tell ourselves, because we have to. Because we were "only" 12 points behind Bayern before the break. Now? It’s not the loss itself that stings. It’s how we lost – with a shrug instead of a fight.

Next up: HSV, away, under the lights. A freshly promoted side, in January chill – the perfect setting to prove we still remember how to play football. And not just how to gift goals. No more excuses. We want a Werkself that earns its name again: a team that works, grinds, pushes. Not one that lets itself get pantsed before the first half ends.

Otherwise, the dream of a title challenge might turn into a Europa League scrap faster than you can say “Angstgegner.”

Merry Christmas & a (hopefully) drama-free New Year

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As a Bayer 04 fan, I’m sitting here between cookies and the league table, wishing for calm holidays—while knowing that “calm” and Leverkusen rarely belong in the same sentence. Thank you for reading, sharing, and riding every high, low, and last-minute twist with me on niemalsmeister.de. For 2026, I wish you health, happiness, and plenty of matches where my heart rate stays below 180 for once. Enjoy the holidays, have a great start to the year—see you in 2026!

Bayer Crashes Leipzig’s Holiday Mood

What makes for a perfect end to the year? A bit of drama, a few comeback stories, a teenage wonderkid – and, of course, three points snatched from Leipzig. Bayer 04 delivered all of that on Saturday night, handing RB Leipzig their first home defeat of the Bundesliga season – gift-wrapped, but tied with a red-and-black ribbon. Anyone who thought we’d be sipping mulled wine and coasting after the derby win over Köln clearly doesn’t know this team. What unfolded on the pitch at the Red Bull Arena wasn’t football on cruise control – it was a full-blown holiday feast.

Sure, the game didn’t start out all that festive. Xaver Schlager scored, and for a moment, the ghosts of early-season wobbles made a brief appearance. But then came the fireworks: Terrier with a picture-perfect header, Schick with a rocket of a right-footed finish that would’ve made even Berbatov raise an eyebrow. Just like that, we went into halftime leading 2-1. Leipzig looked rattled, like kids who’ve just discovered there’s no PlayStation under the tree.

But the real goosebump moment came late – very late – courtesy of Montrell Culbreath. Just 18 years old, with the composure of a seasoned pro, he danced through Leipzig’s defense like it was a casual kickabout in Wiesdorf, and coolly buried the 3-1 in the 97th minute. A full debut goal? Yes. A statement? Absolutely. Forget festive miracles – this was cold-blooded brilliance.

Now we go into the winter break third in the table with 29 points. Back in September, that might’ve sounded like drunken optimism at a Christmas market. But this team has earned every bit of it – not just the points, but credibility. Hjulmand’s fingerprints are all over this side, even if the starting eleven changes more often than TV channels over the holidays. Add to that the feel-good return of Fernández, Tape, and Vázquez – it’s like getting snow on Christmas Eve.

So what’s next? A breather. Some cookies. A bit of holiday magic. And then it’s back to business against Stuttgart – another top clash, another stage. But until then, let’s enjoy this moment, because something about this team just feels *right*. And yes, Christmas does look good in red and black.

No Doubt, No Noise, No Problem – Bayer Cruise to a Well-Deserved Derby Win

Ah, derbies. The kind of matches where your pulse races, beer prices skyrocket, and emotions boil over the fastest. Only this time… it was quiet. Unusually quiet. The Rhine derby against FC Cologne felt less like fireworks and more like a cosy night by the fireplace – featuring a very artistic firestarter named Martin Terrier. If you score a scorpion kick to make it 1–0, it’s pretty clear you're done with boring goals – and honestly, fair enough!

But let’s start from the top – even though there’s not all that much to tell. Bayer pressed, Cologne staggered, yet somehow it was still 0–0 at halftime. Kofane missed, Andrich headed wide, and Tillman briefly seemed to believe that football goals are located somewhere above the net. It all looked decent enough, but not exactly derby fire. And in the stands? Drought. Cologne’s active fan scene boycotted the match due to alleged police measures – and Leverkusen’s ultras walked out in solidarity.

On the pitch, though, there was quite a bit of actual football happening. Terrier came on and scored a goal even Zlatan would struggle to dream up, and Andrich – now our libero of hearts – nodded in the 2–0 like a true leader. That was that. Game over, Kölsch going flat, and Cologne completely done.

Coach Hjulmand deserves a special shoutout – at this point, he could probably sub in the winning lottery numbers. Terrier as a joker? A masterstroke with French flair. And the fact that Robert Andrich is calling the shots both at the back and up front might just be the best Christmas gift since canned beer on an away trip.

Bottom line: three points, two wondergoals.

So, here we are – still floating around in table-heaven, Terrier clearly wants more minutes, Andrich remains captain on the pitch and in our hearts – and Leipzig awaits for the final match of the year. Maybe even with Grimaldo and Schick.