Against aggressive Leverkusen, VfB once again let a game slip through their fingers in their stadium, losing the Supercup. At the same time, the match offered insightful indications for the upcoming season.
It was a bit amusing how the football industry and the accompanying media reassured each other of the Supercup’s relevance through the scuffle in the second half and the emotional reactions of both coaches. As if football professionals and officials wouldn’t jump at every opportunity presented by the schedule. And it would have been nice to see VfB players strut across the pitch with a more serious trophy instead of something like the Uhrencup or the Second Division hubcap.
In the end, it was the usual closely fought game against Leverkusen with a late blow—likely more telling for the league opener in Freiburg than a game in Münster. Even though it’s still unreasonable that the Supercup isn’t played a week before the Cup, probably because the usually participating Bayern would object if such a game collided with one of their overseas trips. The takeaway from the Supercup was that this game went just like the last ones against the double winners, showing that VfB has lost little of its danger.
Everything still works
The home team’s lead, resulting from a somewhat passively defended corner, was countered by the players with the red stripe with a clear-headed, well-executed attack down the strong left side, where Enzo Millot showcased his full quality. By then, it was clear: The runners-up may have had to make more changes to their squad than the champions, but there are still enough key players to maintain effective operations in the new season. At least offensively, as Chabot and Rouault at the back occasionally appeared somewhat unclean, highlighting why VfB is seeking a suitable reinforcement in central defense, especially against opponents of such quality.
It was this quality that eventually led the game to a penalty shootout. Although VfB took the lead in the second half after Terrier’s clear red card with another impressive attack, they gradually lost control of the game and offered Leverkusen spaces they shouldn’t have had, especially being a man down. It’s likely the confidence built over a season without defeat that kept the home team trying to outplay VfB’s defense. Fortunately, they were just as unsuccessful as VfB with their numerous hits on the woodwork, which seemed to be a recurring theme for these players.
No cool heads
It wasn’t just the fearless offensive play of the champions that threw VfB off their game, but also the unrest that Leverkusen brought onto the pitch with fouls and verbal skirmishes. After about an hour, Sebastian Hoeneß substituted Stiller, who was at risk of getting a second yellow card, bringing in Krätzig and Undav, who scored the remarkable go-ahead goal. At the same time, VfB lost their stability and, due to Leverkusen’s tactics, also their composure.
One could find this style of play unpleasant or argue that grabbing someone by the throat should result in more than a double yellow, which is symptomatic of the current state of refereeing in Germany. Ultimately, though, it’s also a quality of the champions to throw their opponents off balance and then strike coldly—especially with a referee like Tobias Stieler, who eventually lost control of the match. He handed out two yellow cards before the break and nine after, and it seemed like the captain’s rule didn’t even apply in this game.
All somehow foreseeable
That Patrik Schick outran the overwhelmed right-back Yannik Keitel and scored the equalizer in the 88th minute was eventually foreseeable. The team allowed themselves to be pushed back by a team with fewer players and committed fouls, while the Brustring players, in their attempt to finally seal the win against Leverkusen, became increasingly frantic. Leverkusen, on the other hand, sat back for a long time and then went all in—especially since the yellow cards don’t matter for the rest of the season. It paid off for them.
I don’t want to say much about VfB’s first penalty shootout since the first-round cup game in Cottbus in 2017. Even the coin toss was a farce—of course, the DFL doesn’t want to market images of Supercup players taking penalties at a glass wall. And since exceptions were made with the choice of venue and the host’s eligibility for the match, this time, one of the cameras was simply broken. Incidentally, the EURO-tested Neckarstadion has two ends, but maybe Alex Wehrle should have complained more to his DFL colleagues… let’s leave it at that. It just underscores that the DFL didn’t think this game was important enough, just important enough to squeeze a bit more marketing out of it. VfB also benefited financially from this, we have to be honest.
Preparation for the Champions League
No, let’s rather draw conclusions from the regular 90 minutes. The team hasn’t lost any passion. They just lack the composure against opponents of a certain quality. However, over several encounters last season, this quality was really only shown by Leverkusen. In the upcoming Champions League season, though, there will be more of such scenarios, and VfB would do well to prepare for it while also improving their defensive routines.
What the team showed otherwise was quite impressive, especially considering that the national players haven’t been in training for very long. Therefore, there’s certainly something to be gained in Freiburg, Münster, and also against Mainz, even though these teams naturally present completely different challenges compared to Leverkusen. I’m optimistic about the start of the season and somewhat relieved that the summer break and transfer window haven’t cast a shadow over last season’s outstanding runner-up finish.
Picture: © SASCHA SCHUERMANN/AFP via Getty Images
Well said! I think there are a lot of positives to take away from the match. As you said, we retained the passion from last season. We also seem to have maintained a lot of the quality, if not quite the clinical finishing that Sehrou Guirassy gave us last season.
The last 20 minutes were really frustrating, and the shootout after agonizing. But that first 70 showed me what this team can do, and I am very excited about that!