A Gamble That Collapsed in Weeks

The incredible became official on Monday: Bayer Leverkusen announced the dismissal of Erik ten Hag after only one Cup match and two Bundesliga fixtures. The Dutch coach, who had arrived just 98 days earlier to take over from Xabi Alonso, leaves the bench without the chance to consolidate a project that began with more doubts than certainties.

Over the weekend, German outlet Kicker had already warned that “the situation around Ten Hag was deteriorating” and that even inside the club there was no support for him. The 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen, after leading 3-1 and playing with an extra man, destroyed what little credit he still had at the BayArena.

The Weight of Poor Results

The recent record did not help. A humiliating 5-1 defeat against Flamengo’s U-20 side in preseason raised the first alarms. Then came the opening-day loss to Hoffenheim (2-1), which confirmed a worrying start. The draw against Bremen was the final straw, prompting a drastic decision: to cut short a cycle that convinced no one.

The context was never easy. Ten Hag arrived as the successor to Xabi Alonso, the coach who had led Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga and set the bar sky-high. Constant comparisons with the Spaniard, now at Real Madrid, became unsustainable for a project that barely got off the ground.

A Déjà Vu at the BayArena

History seems to repeat itself at the BayArena, albeit under different circumstances. Three years ago, in October 2022, Xabi Alonso took over the dugout from Gerardo Seoane, also after a poor league start. That gamble turned out to be perfect, transforming Leverkusen into historic champions. Today, however, the decision has been to pull the plug on a failed appointment that didn’t even survive the first international break.

The German club, which had trusted the Dutchman to keep the team competitive after Alonso’s departure, is already searching for urgent solutions to steer the season back on course.