The neverchampions season review 2021/22

The good news in retrospect is that the Bayer qualified for the Champions League. In retrospect, however, it must also be noted that the exit in the cup at home against Karlsruhe was unnecessary. Especially in the DFB Cup would have been more in it. The same applies to the Europa League and the exit against Bergamo. Especially in the Europa League: Bayer fails against Bergamo. Bergamo then fails against Leipzig. Leipzig then fails against Glasgow and Rangers lose the final against Frankfurt.

But back to the season forecast from 2.8.2021 https://neverchampions.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-never-champions-season-forecast.html

Somehow my season forecast seems to show consistency in that I correctly predicted three out of four Champions League participants, as I did last year. Summa summarum, I correctly predicted the first two with Bayern and Dortmund, even if I don't like it. Leipzig I had seen on 3 and with it the re-entry into the Champions League. Now they've finished fourth and still go into the Champions League.

Wolfsburg I had pegged for the fourth Champions League spot, but it was a messed up season for the them. Cup exit in round 1 in Münster after a change. Early coach dismissal of van Bommel and then Kohfeldt, who after a comparatively good start also gets nothing more on the chain. Thus, only 12th place and the search for a new coach for the new season.

I had predicted that our Werkself would finish in 5th place. Thank God, and deservedly so, it turned out to be better than that.

For the Europa League and Conference League I had seen Frankfurt and Hoffenheim next to us. Okay, Frankfurt in the league only 11th place, but won the Europa League and thus next year in the Champions League.

Hoffenheim, on the other hand, was still very well in the race for the international places until halfway through the second half of the season, but have felt in the last nine games of the season no longer fetched three. That's not enough for Europe.

The international places then went to Union, Freiburg and Cologne, who I had expected to be more in the midfield (10th and 12th and 13th respectively). Home strength is the name of the game for me here.
And even with the relegated teams, my forecasting power was not bad, as I saw both Bielefeld and Fürth as relegated teams. In the previous year, I also had Düsseldorf and Paderborn both correctly relegated, but none in the year before that.

Until 17.22 clock was also my tip that the VfB Stuttgart 16th place occupied good. But then the Swabians gave the Cologne team another one and jumped to the save place, whereas Hertha BSC now has to go into the relegation against Hamburger SV.

Speaking of Hertha: for me, the disappointment of the season. Bobic is the new sports director, Windhorst supposedly brings in a lot of money. But that didn't do the capital club much good, because even legendary coach Felix Magath missed three match points at the end to keep the team in the relegation zone.

For most teams, the season is now over. The Werkself is still on a marketing tour in Mexico, followed by a few international matches. And it all starts at the end of July with the first main round of the DFB Cup. The league starts a week later, and before that we'll have the never-before-seen 2022/23 season forecast.

Stay healthy everyone.

Deserved party

The game was a minor matter, even if Freiburg probably needed a goal last to enter the Champions League, but the results on the other places changed quickly. Thus, after the outstanding long-range shot by Palacios in the 97th minute and the 2-1 home victory, the Werkself remains in 3rd place, Freiburg ends the season in 6th place, but may still play in the cup final against Leipzig next week.

The party after the game remains in the memory. The outgoing Rudi Völler climbed over the fence of the North Stand to the fans after the final whistle and addressed his word to the fans. "What was going on here in the stadium today, just terrific," he said - before intoning the Uffta with the supporters. Thank you Rudi for 28 years under the Bayer cross. And thanks also to Baumi for six years of service to the Werkself. You were an important part of the squad.

The Werkself is now off to Mexico for a PR and marketing tour - that's the way it has to be. For the national players, there are still a few international matches to come. I'm looking forward to the next season and the start with the 1st Cup round on the last weekend in July.

But before the season really comes to an end for me, there is still the niemalsmeister review of the 2021/22 season forecast this week.

Done

Thanks to a significant improvement in performance in the second half, Bayer Leverkusen turned the game around at TSG Hoffenheim and thus secured qualification for the 2022/23 Champions League. Done. The important thing is to have achieved the victory under our own steam. But even if we had lost, we would have made it, because Freiburg lost at home to Union at the same time, so we would have been assured of 4th place in any case. Now it's 3rd place and completely deserved.

Why Patrick Schick is currently unsellable for us was clearly seen yesterday. Not every top striker would have scored his two goals like that. And that was certainly the basis for yesterday's victory. Now we can go into the stadium completely relaxed next Saturday and experience a hopefully relaxed home game against Freiburg. But yesterday's victory also has an unpleasant aftertaste, because our victory means that the team from the other side of the Rhine is now in Europe. Maybe they'll say thank you.

Monday is good

Monday games obviously do Bayer good. Yesterday, the Werkself completely deserved to send the Adler from Frankfurt home with 2-0. This and the simultaneous defeat of Leipzig in Gladbach have further improved our starting position for Champions League qualification.

Saturday we go to Hoffenheim. After the promotion of Sinsheim, we always won there in the first years. Then the last few years were rather lukewarm. I think the phantom goal was the crux of the matter. Be that as it may. Three points on Saturday would be brilliant, then we could calmly approach the last task at home against Freiburg as the end of the season. I would be very happy for the team with all its injured.