A Fresh Start at 30 Degrees: Martínez Gets Bayer 04 Sweating Straight Away

The Werkself are barely back on the training pitch, and already the most enjoyable and most dangerous time of the football year has begun for us fans: pre-season. Enjoyable because the ball is finally rolling again. Dangerous because after one public training session, I am already tempted to spot tactical revolutions, new guaranteed starters and at least three future world-class players.

For now, though, it was only the first session back. But at least it was one that made me curious.

After around two months of summer break, Carles Martínez gathered his squad on the training pitches next to the BayArena for the first time. Several hundred fans watched, temperatures climbed above 30 degrees, and the sprinklers were probably among the most popular members of staff that afternoon.

Arthur was the first player to step onto the pitch, beaming from ear to ear. That is exactly how a first training session should look: everyone is in a good mood, everyone is highly motivated, and presumably nobody has yet been forced to repeat the same exhausting running drill for the tenth time.

For Martínez, it was his first session as Bayer 04 head coach. The Spaniard said he wants his team to play with intensity, passion and precision. That sounds excellent, of course. To be fair, I cannot remember a coach ever introducing slowness, indifference and misplaced passes as the pillars of his footballing philosophy.

So the crucial question will not be how convincing those three words sound in July, but whether we can still recognise them on the pitch in autumn. Precision in particular could become an important issue. Passion is relatively easy to claim, intensity can at least be measured in running, but precision only reveals itself when players make the right decisions under pressure.

One encouraging sign is that Martínez appears to be a very communicative coach. Nathan Tella described him as clear and direct and stressed that this is exactly what the team needs. For a young side, that really does matter. Young players need freedom, but they also need clearly defined responsibilities. Footballing self-expression is wonderful, as long as someone still knows who is supposed to track the opposition full-back.

Martínez also said that every player in the squad has the chance to earn a place in the starting line-up. That too is part of the traditional vocabulary of a new coach, but it is still the right message. During pre-season, the cards need to be reshuffled to some extent. Anyone who feels in July that he is merely training equipment for the supposed first eleven is unlikely to reach his full potential.

It was also interesting to see five U19 players involved. Osman Turay, Jonah Berghoff, Jeremiah Mensah, Dustin Buck and goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch were given the chance to train with the senior squad. Of course, one session should not immediately be turned into a breakthrough story. Even so, I always enjoy seeing academy players receive an opportunity.

Not every youth player will become a Bundesliga professional, and not every strong training performance will lead to an appearance at the BayArena. But a club like Bayer 04 has to offer young players a credible pathway. Otherwise, at some point the academy becomes little more than a particularly expensive changing room.

New signing Afonso Moreira also trained with the squad for the first time. Kennet Eichhorn was absent because of a private appointment in Berlin, while the Leverkusen players still involved in the World Cup will join the preparations later. The squad was therefore far from complete, which is another reason not to overanalyse the opening session.

Even so, the decisive phase for the new coaching staff has now begun. Martínez has to communicate his ideas, define roles and turn familiar faces, young talents and new arrivals into a functioning team. The family-like atmosphere he praised will help. Harmony is certainly valuable, but it must not be confused with comfort.

Nathan Tella wants to stay fit after his injury and deliver consistent performances. That would be important for Bayer 04. Competition within the squad can push players to improve, as long as it does not lead to permanent frustration. Here too, the coach has a key role to play. He must explain his decisions clearly while ensuring that those outside the starting line-up are not already planning a January transfer by September.

The first friendly against Sportfreunde Baumberg will not provide any major answers. Pre-season matches in July are about as reliable as weather forecasts for next spring. Still, we may get the first clues: How does Martínez want his team to build from the back? How aggressively will they press? What role will the younger players have? And how seriously will the team take the promised principles of intensity, passion and precision?

After the first training session, I am cautiously optimistic. The new coach appears committed, communicative and clear. After one session, there is not much more that can be assessed seriously.

The Werkself are back, the anticipation is back as well, and my red-and-black fan glasses are already sitting so firmly that even 30 degrees in the shade cannot fog them up.