Erik ten Hag has been tasked with persevering with the legacy left by Spanish supervisor Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, however the former Manchester United boss didn’t benefit from the ideally suited begin. In his debut match, Leverkusen suffered a stunning 5–1 loss to Flamengo’s U-20 crew, in a gap efficiency to neglect.
After attracting curiosity from Actual Madrid, Alonso opted to go away Leverkusen after main the membership to its first-ever Bundesliga title. In response, the German aspect appointed Ten Hag, who has prior expertise in German soccer as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Bayern Munich, with hopes of sustaining the membership’s latest success.
Leverkusen’s preseason tour started in Brazil, with Rio de Janeiro as their first cease. The crew arrived on Tuesday, July 15, for a matchup in opposition to Flamengo’s U-20 aspect. Leverkusen have been heavy favorites heading into the sport, however the final result was something however anticipated.
At Estádio da Gávea, Ten Hag fielded a rotated beginning XI, with striker Victor Boniface the one acquainted identify. Flamengo’s children wasted no time, taking a 4–0 lead into halftime with targets from Lorran, Matheus Gonçalves (2), and Pedro Leão. Simply after the break, Gusttavo added a fifth, capping off an embarrassing end result for the Bundesliga runner-ups.
Trying to salvage some delight, Ten Hag introduced on common starters together with Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka, Patrick Schick, and Exequiel Palacios. Leverkusen managed to tug one again, however the injury had been carried out. Flamengo, who received the U-20 Copa Libertadores two occasions in a row, had totally outplayed their senior-level opposition.
Ten Hag’s resolution to begin principally backups is comprehensible in preseason, however a 5–1 defeat to a youth crew has raised eyebrows. It’s a shaky begin for a coach moving into the footwear of Alonso, whose tactical id and outcomes set a excessive customary in Germany.
What’s subsequent for Bayer Leverkusen?
The loss to Flamengo marked just the start of Leverkusen’s preseason. Their Brazil tour wraps up on Friday, with upcoming matches in opposition to VfL Bochum, Fortuna Sittard, Italian aspect Pisa, and Chelsea on August 8.
Leverkusen will start their aggressive season on August 15 within the first spherical of the DFB-Pokal, dealing with fourth-division aspect SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. Regardless of the tough begin, Ten Hag nonetheless has time to form his squad, although the departures of stars Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool depart vital gaps to fill.
