Neverchampions-Season Review 2025/26: Sixth Place, Racing Pulse, and the Fine Art of Getting in Your Own Way

This Bayer 04 season felt like one long VAR check: at some point, you no longer knew whether to celebrate, complain, or quietly remove all sharp objects from the living room. Sixth place, Europa League, 59 points — on paper, that is respectable. For Bayer 04 in 2026, though, it feels like too little. Not a collapse, more like a missed upgrade. Business class was available, and we somehow chose the overhead compartment.

The red thread of this campaign was not just red and black, but painfully familiar: dominance without reward. Again and again, Bayer had the ball, the control, the better spells, the statistics — and still not enough points. A late rescue against Mainz, a 3-3 thrown away in Freiburg, three goals scored at bottom side Heidenheim and still no win, 35 shots against Augsburg and zero points, then the season finale against HSV: 26 shots, a penalty, a home crowd, everything set up nicely — and still only 1-1. At some stage, that is no longer bad luck. That is a pattern with a season ticket.

Of course, there were bright moments. The 1-0 in Dortmund was mature, tough, and important. The 4-1 against Leipzig showed what this team can actually do when it stops admiring its horsepower in neutral. Patrik Schick carried the attack for long stretches, Aleix Garcia grew more influential, and Quansah and Tapsoba did not only defend — at times they had to join the fire brigade up front as well. Young players like Culbreath and Kofane also gave us real hope that Leverkusen’s future is not just something mentioned in press conferences, but something sprinting across the pitch.

And that is exactly why sixth place hurts. This team had quality. It had enough strong performances, enough individual class, enough chances to achieve more. What was missing was maturity. Too often, Bayer switched off after taking the lead. Too often, the reaction only came after falling behind. Too often, this team looked capable of controlling an opponent without being capable of killing the match. And anyone aiming for the Champions League cannot keep dropping points like loose change from a winter coat.

The cups left a similar taste: decent, sometimes proud, but not decisive enough. Against Arsenal, Bayer were not embarrassed. Against Bayern in the cup, they were not hopeless. But they were still out. In the end, this was a season full of promising signs, strong individual stories, and far too many “actually” moments. Actually better. Actually dominant. Actually close. Unfortunately, football does not hand out Champions League places for “actually”.

We will take the Europa League, of course. Through my red-and-black fan glasses, we are naturally winning the whole thing — probably after extra time, three minor heart attacks, and a Robert Andrich tackle that has to be registered as construction work. But the criticism remains: Bayer 04 did not lack talent in 2025/26. It lacked consequence. If dominance does not finally turn into goals, wins, and stability, sixth place will not be a blip. It will be a warning.