Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso would’ve loved most of Bayern Munich’s 11-consecutive Bundesliga titles, in particular the three he helped win after joining the club in 2014.
We can’t say the same about Bayern Munich’s feelings for Alonso’s Bundesliga triumphs after the former Bayern midfielder stopped their incredible streak with Leverkusen’s first ever German top-flight title.
Leverkusen lifted the Meisterschale on Sunday after a 4-0 triumph over Werder Bremen, goals by Victor Boniface and Granit Xhaka plus a Florian Wirtz hat trick in the final 22 minutes ensuring that Bayern cannot catch them. Alonso’s men have 79 points and Bayern 63 with five matches left each.
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The fight isn’t over for Leverkusen, who have not lost in Bundesliga play (25W-4D) and have five games left in a bid for an invincible season — away to Dortmund, home to Stuttgart, away to Eintracht Frankfurt and Bochum, and then home to Augsburg. They also have the German Cup Final with Koln on May 25.
Both German clubs remain in Europe for at least another week. Bayern faces Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, level at 2-2, while Leverkusen lead West Ham 2-0 after a Europa League quarterfinal first leg.
It would not be a textbook continental treble for Leverkusen, but few would care about the modifier on the word considering that the club had never won the Bundesliga, has only won the German Cup once (1992-93), and last won the Europa League when it was the UEFA Cup in 1987-88 (Leverkusen did finish as Champions League runners-up in 2001-02).
Alonso had been rumored as the next Liverpool boss, but recently said he’d be staying at Leverkusen for at least another season.
