FM15: Bayer 04 Leverkusen - The Almost Champions

Origins and early years

Founded in 1904 as Turn-Und Spielverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the club went onto play in the third and fourth divisions of the German football league system (commonly known as the Regionalliga). Scuffles with the gymnasts and their respective association led to the sports of handball, fistball, athletics and boxing to merge Sportvereinigung Bayer 04 Leverkusen along with the football players. Red and black became the respective colours of Bayer 04.

Bayer 04 were promoted to the second division in 1936, before being promoted to the upper league play and staying there for 5 years (1951-56) before getting relegated again. They returned to the top division in 1962, a year before the Bundesliga was formed as we know it today. Relegation hit them again, as they fell down the table and down to the second division...

From the 2. Bundesliga to the UEFA Cup

Leverkusen had a weird decade or so from 1968 until the early 80s. The 1968 season in the 2. Bundesliga saw them win their respective division but failing to qualify for the Bundesliga through the play-offs, although 5 years later they were relegated to the Third Division. A season later and they were back in the 2. Bundesliga, and subsequently they were Bundesliga regulars come the 1979-1980 season.

Bayer Leverkusen also reunited with the other half of the club that left them (the gymnast association) to form TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V.

By 1984, Bayer became a top half club in the Bundesliga, qualifying for Europe and winning the 1988 UEFA Cup against 'Espanyol Barcelona', now known as just Espanyol. Leverkusen were 2-0 down before coming back, and consequently winning the penalty shoot-out 3-2.

The Reiner Calmund Era

Reiner Calmund became General Manager of Leverkusen in 1988, and this ushered a decade and a half of the club's great successes great signings. Among these signings were Ulf Kirsten, Andreas Thorn and Jens Melzig - all East German stars. Bayer's popularity was increasing - especially when Calmund befriended people who have contacts in Brazilian football - which led to the signings of players like Jorginho, Paulo Sergio, Bernd Schuster and Rudi Voller.

Following this, in 1993, Leverkusen won the German Cup against Hertha Berlin II, the amateur squad who surprisingly reached the final. Bernd Schuster also scored a 45 meter "Goal of the Decade", before a minor blip (causing a relegation battle for Leverkusen) in 1996 led to a great offensive style of play under the infamous Christoph Daum (fired due to a cocaine scandal). Lucio, Ze Roberto and Michael Ballack were notable players who signed for Leverkusen in this period.

The Almost Champions

The team earned a series of four second place from 1997 to 2002. The finishes of 2000 and 2002 were heart-breaking for supporters as on both occasions the team had the Bundesliga title within its grasp. In 2000, Bayer Leverkusen needed only a draw against Unterhaching to win the title, but an own goal by Ballack helped send the team to a crushing 2–0 defeat, while Bayern Munich clinched the title with a (3–1) victory over Werder Bremen. Two years later, the club surrendered a five-point lead atop the league table by losing two of its last three matches while Borussia Dortmunad swept ahead with three consecutive victories in its final matches. The 2002 season has been dubbed the "Treble Horror", as Bayer Leverkusen were also beaten 4–2 in the German Cup final by Schalke, and lost the UEFA Champions League final 2–1 to Real Madrid, which also led to some of the English-language media dubbing them "Neverkusen". Leverkusen was the first team to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League without ever winning a national championship.

Recent Years

The club went through startling reversals of fortune in the next two seasons. In the 2002 offseason, the team lost influential midfield stars Michael Ballack, and Ze Roberto, to archrivals Bayern Munich. The team flirted with relegation through most of the 2002–03 season leading to the firing of Klaus Toppmöller, who had coached the team during its most successful year, and he was replaced by the inexperienced Thomas Hörster. Charismatic coach Klaus Augenthaler took up the reins in the last two games of the season and helped avoid disaster with a win over his previous club Nuremberg. He then led Bayer Leverkusen to a third place finish and a Champions League place the following year.

That following season's run in the Champions League saw them get some measure of revenge on Real Madrid, opening their group stage campaign with a 3–0 rout of the Spanish giants, helping Leverkusen to win the group. Leverkusen were defeated in the first knockout round by eventual champions Liverpool F.C.. The club finished sixth during the 2004–05 season, and would enter the UEFA Cup the following season.

Early in 2005, Augenthaler was in turn fired as manager after the club got off to their worst Bundesliga start in over twenty years, with only one win in their first four league matches and a (0–1) home loss to CSKA Sofia in the first leg of their 2005–06 match-up.Former German national team manager Rudi Völler, who had been named sporting director prior to the season, took charge of five matches as caretaker manager. Michael Skibbe, who was Rudi Völler's assistant coach with the national team, was named as his successor in October 2005. Skibbe turned their season around and guided the club to a sixth place finish in 2006, earning anotherUEFA Cup place, and then repeated that feat with a fifth place Bundesliga finish in 2007.

The 2007–08 season was not a successful one for Bayer Leverkusen despite a good start to the season. Five out of the last ten season games were lost to clubs in the lower half of the table. Michael Skibbe was heavily criticised towards the end of the season after he continuously changed his starting line up. Bayer Leverkusen also lost a lot of their support towards the end of the season. In the 1–2 home loss against Hertha BSC, the Leverkusen fans caused much commotion. Fans chanted for the sacking of Skibbe, while some Ultras, who had seen enough, set fire to their jerseys and threw them onto the field. Michael Skibbe was sacked soon thereafter, leaving the club on 21 May 2008, with club officials stating that his departure was due to the failure to qualify for the following season's UEFA Cup group stage.

The 2008–09 season got off to a great start for Bayer Leverkusen under new manager Bruno Labbadia, who they had acquired from 2.Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth. As the season progressed however, the team failed to achieve any wins against top clubs in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen did manage to reach the German Cup Final on 30 May 2009 in Berlin, but fell 0–1 to Werder Bremen.Leverkusen finished the season in ninth place in the Bundesliga table and Labbadia moved toHamburger SV in June 2009. Shortly thereafter, Leverkusen presented Jupp Heynckes as their new manager, who had previously managed Bayern Munich afterJürgen Klinsmann's departure.

Goalkeepers

1. Bernd Leno - Nationality: German - Age: 22 - Height: 190cm - valued at 9.5M. Very good goalkeeper for his age, excels at One On Ones and Reflexes. ​Future Captain of the Club if Leadership (10) improves.

22. David Yeldell - American - 32 - 194cm - valued at 300k. Decent enough backup, doesn't take up a lot of wages and Communicates well, along with being able to Jump and use his Reflexes.

25. Dario Kresic - Croatian - 30 - 196cm - 1.1M. Another backup, although Yeldell is a better choice. Excels at Balance, Aerial Ability and Strength.

36. Niklas Lomb - German - 20 - 188cm - 130k. He could be a future backup/3rd keeper, but he's one to keep. Excelling at Making Decisions, Positioning himself well and Jumping for the ball.

Analysis:

With Leverkusen, you are stacked in the goalkeeping department. A top goalkeeper, two backups and one for the future. I suggest selling Kresic OR loaning out Lomb. Kresic is a better choice as Leverkusen have a weak transfer budget.

Defenders

13. RB - Roberto Hilbert - German - 20 - 182cm - 750k. Roberto is on decent wages, is Mentally ready for big games, a consistent performer and naturally fit.

26. RB - Giulio Donati - Italian - 24 - 179cm - 2.3M. Donati is a player who can play on the right or in the centre of defence, as long as being capable to play in more attacking positions. Fitness, Determination and Defensive attributes make him a player to keep for sure and rely on in the big games.

16. RB/CB - Tin Jedvaj (LOANED FROM ROMA FOR 2 SEASONS, FUTURE FEE OF 4.22M ) - Croatian - 18 - 184cm - 2.6M. Tin is only 18, but can play anywhere across the defence and can put in a shift in the centre of midfield. He is fit, athletic and aggressive.

21. CB - Omer Toprak - Turkish - 24 - 186cm - 7.25M. Toprak is arguably your best defender, and has brilliant mental stats at only 24 years of age. International experience and pace come in handy too. He may get tired along the way and his heading ability + concentration is yet to be desired. Make sure to stave off any interest in the first window.

14. CB - Kyriakos Papadopoulos (ON LOAN FROM SCHALKE/GELSENKIRCHEN FOR A SEASON) - Greek - 22 - 182cm - 4.5M. Kyriakos is a very brave player, and he plays for the team. The ability to tackle with such determination is a feat for a player of only 22. Injury Proneness may well be a problem in the future.

5. CB - Emir Spahic - Bosnian - 33 - 183cm - 625k. Mentally tough, big game player, consistent performer, and is a leader. The downside is his pace, so playing him in a high defensive line/high pressing system will take its toll on him with poor Teamwork (8) and Work Rate (9).

17. LB - Sebastian Boenisch - Polish - 27 - 191cm - 2.7M. A speedster and a workhorse with decent defensive ability is all you can ask from this player, and he does it consistently. He is also very tall, which means he won't lose out on long balls behind him.

18. LB - Wendell - Brazilian - 20 - 176cm - 2.1M. A great attacking outlet with heaps of speed, and a great buy from Leverkusen. One for the future, but his height makes it easy for teams to play balls in behind him.

Analysis:

There is lots of quality in the Leverkusen defence, with 3 very capable central defenders (Toprak, Papa, Spahic) and players who can play almost anywhere across the defence (Jedvaj, Donati, Boesnich). There is cover at the full backs with Oztunali, Castro and others able to fill in... but there is little quantity at centre back if you want to compete in all 3 competitions.

3. DM - Stefan Reinartz - German - 25 - 189cm - 4.3M. One of your most important players and at just 25, he still hasn't hit his prime yet. An excellent no-nonsense defensive midfielder, but he still comes with a few downsides. His ability to circulate the ball and catch up with players is not yet complete, so using him as a DM (D)/Anchor Man is the safest option.

6. DM - Simon Rolfes - German - 32 - 191cm - 600k. The captain, the go to guy, the team player. With speed also being a downside here, don't let that underestimate the fact that he can play 90-minute games for as long as he wants and will be concentrated and anticipating the next move no matter what. He is a good passer, too, so playing him next to Reinartz in games where some players need rest is doing no wrong.

8. DM - Lars Bender - German - 25 - 184cm - 12.75M. Arguably your best player, Lars has international experience, Bundesliga experience and Champions League experience at only 25. He is a fierce tackler, plays for the team and his work rate along with natural fitness is second to none. He could play every game in the season for you and not feel tired. Vice captain now, but definitely captain in the future..

10. AMC - Hakan Calhanoglu - Turkish - 20 - 178cm - 9M. Technically able to sweep the world off his feet, this boy is a really good coup from Leverkusen, but not one that I would consider a starter in. Leverkusen are in all competitions this season, so don't expect Hakan to play every game.

15. DM - Levin Oztunali - German - 18 - 176cm - 1.9M. Do not loan this guy out, no matter what. Able to cover anywhere from centre back to right wing, this is your less physical Emre Can. Plays for the team, has great pace and can pass well.

19. ML/MR - Julian Brandt - German - 18 - 183cm - 4.3M. This little youngster is top class, and don't even think about selling him. His ability to cross and beat a man makes him able as a winger, while his ability to cut inside and shoot can help him as an Inside Forward, while his creative abilities also see him putting a shift in at Treq/Wide Playmaker.

23. MR/ML - Robbie Kruse - Australian - 25 - 179cm - 3M. He's wanted at the start by lower Germany clubs and you can sell him for little, but he could be used as a back up player. He's very poor defensively so if you play a system like a 4-1-4-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2, he will not track back or help well enough. His work rate is very good, though. I would try and sell him and loan someone in.

27. Everywhere? Seriously though, MC. Gonzalo Castro - German - 27 - 171cm - 7M. I cannot stress how underrated he is. He can playmake, run, shoot, you name it. He's in his prime and is a Leverkusen boy... and versatility is an understatement for this lad.

35. AMC - Vladen Yurchenko - Ukrainian - 20 - 181cm - 725k. Loan him out or keep him, but he has very good stats at 18. A finisher and a creator with poor defensive ability, a Trequartista...

38. MR/ML - Karim Bellarabi - German - 24 - 183cm - 6.75M. The dribbling maestro, the speedster, the skills master, but with no end product. Or that's what I thought. He can pull up with some important goals this lad.

7. ML/MR/AMC/ST - Son-Heung Min - South Korean - 21 - 183cm - 9.75M. Whatever you do, don't sell Son. I sold him... *looks away* after he wanted to leave, but, try your best. He's fast, he can finish, and has a hell of a long shot.

9. AMR/AML/ST - Josip Drmic - Swiss - 21 - 181cm - 6.75M. For the age of 21, he has more than decent stats to either play off or pair up with Stefan Keissling. Very composed in front of goal too.

11. ST - Stefan Keissling - German - 30 - 191cm - 5.25M. He's big, he's fast, he works off his ass (I know it should be works his ass of, but then it wouldn't rhyme). The song is for real though, he is all of that. Dribbling is his downside, but he'd make a very good Advanced Forward.

That's done! Any questions, just ask.

Amazing thread! Great job!

Two questions:

What were your transfers?

You suggested playing 4-1-2-1-2. Could you explain the roles in which you play Bellarabi and the others?

Calhanoglu great player i think new iniesta ;]

You did the writeup in the OP yourself? VERY nice, and very interesting part about the club culture. Learned something new!

I loaned in Felipe Santana, sold Kruse and loaned in Suso. I also bought Sven Schipplock from Hoffenheim for £1M, he's good for an advanced forward that's back up to Keissling. I used Reinartz (DMd) - either Bender (BWMs) or Castro/Oztunali/Rolfes RP/DLP, Bellarabi (CMa) - Suso/Calhanoglu (AMs/APs)

That opening post has made me stop and delete my Wolfsburg save and restart as Bayer Leverkusen.

I have heartache for Leverkusen as I was in attendance at Hampden Park in 2002 for Zidane's wonder goal, the Leverkusen fans around me were heartbroken, great guys who I traded some t shirts and scarfs with.

I'm suprised more people haven't picked Leverkusen. Great young squad with potential. I'm starting my season now will let you know how I get on!

Great young team with 3 Turkish mates, Levan, Hakan and Omer, will be starting with them tonight!

-Levan seems to have huge potential, so does Hakan. Omer will be your starter player too.

-I have sold some of the older players and now have a transfer budget of 40m euros. will only be buying young and talented players, lets see what happens!

I took over as Leverkusen after i got fired from Manchester United on the Beta, took them to second then Champions league. Decided to start a new one with them now, was hoping to see a post about them on here.

Just ended the second season in the second place. The board just decided to build me up a new stadium, 41,700 will be our new capacity

Oh, the money probably came from the selling of Son-Heung. Bayern brought him for 42.5m euros.

Now i'm preparing for the first spot! Sold Toprak and Wollscheid, both are DC, replaced them with Niklas Sule and Marc-Oliver Kempf, both are young and highly rated German DC's with great potential.

Since the first season, i was hoping for an impact from Lozano-Fierro -the mexican duo, however especially Fierro had been "above average" at best. he does score, and his attributes does improve, but at that level, i will never be able to challenge Bayern. He had not improved as significantly as i had hoped.

So, hoping to grab another German striker, Werner from Stuttgart.

Managed them 3 Seasons then moving on to United as they were struggling again.

I sold Drmic after 2nd Season where he scored 21 goals and made 11 assists in 31 games for 51mio (!!!!) to Juventus!!!

Brandt played absolutely ridicoulous, you cant underestimate his potential! he was my first option on the left after Son got injured and established himself there!

They were really fun but after 3rd Season i felt my team was too good because i thought all the players were perfect and i didnt wanted to move them one..

My starting 11 was(442):

Leno

Wendell Balanta Jedvaj Peruzzi

Brandt Bender Öztunali Son

R.Jimenez(BEAST) A.Henriquez

Subs(as far as i can remember):

Ortola (barca b)

Sergi Roberto

Bellarabi

R. Zivkovic

Toprak

Kramer

T. Hazard

Great Thread, Love the Bundesliga comp.

Anybody managed to crack Bayern's dominance? Its turning out to be very tough to do so.

Anybody managed to crack Bayern's dominance? Its turning out to be very tough to do so.

defeated them in the 2. season by 4 points because they had a bad run of form, in overall it seems too hard to fully break theire dominance

defeated them in the 2. season by 4 points because they had a bad run of form, in overall it seems too hard to fully break theire dominance

Especially on my save it is when they are purchasing players like Depay, Meyer and Werner all from under my noses. Their wealth is just too powerful in the early stages of the game. I will break the dominance if it is the last thing i do

Well done however on winning league in 2nd season

I have finished 3rd and 2nd past two seasons, currently early stages of my 3rd season now.

I've seen them falter around the 4th-5th-6th season in various saves. They extend the expensive contracts of the older players, and don't replenish their squad well. I guess it's a little bit down to chance. In the 5th season, while managing in Italy, I was offered the job when they were hovering above relegation around new years. The new manager turned things around though and finished 6th in the end. Next season they were back challenging for the title and finished 2nd. 6 seasons in on this game they have only won it once, with Dortmund winning 5 times.

How do you guys get the best out of Heung-Min Son? I use him as a inside forward attack, but he has been awful so far! I am considering using him as a raumdeuter anyone had succes with that?

How do you guys get the best out of Heung-Min Son? I use him as a inside forward attack, but he has been awful so far! I am considering using him as a raumdeuter anyone had succes with that?

I got more success out of him playing as ML (Winger) sold him to Arsenal start of second season for £42m. G|ood player but if you can get great money for him take it as you have Julian Brandt who has potential to be world class if given the right guidance.

Julian is a natural replacement for Heung-Min Son.

With regards to the OP on the player guide why would you not consider Hakan Calhanoglu as a starter?

With regards to the OP on the player guide why would you not consider Hakan Calhanoglu as a starter?

Still very raw, not quite got the mentals at first....will come good with tutoring etc

Just finished my first season, second behind Bayern.

I played a 4-2-2-2 (2cm, 2 am) system, starting 11 though I rotated quite a lot I guess.

Players in where Suso on a loan (which I terminated in winter) and Mati Fernandez in summer, Antoine Conte and Serge Gnabry (both loans for 1.5 years) in winter. Conte replaced Papadopolous as DC No 4 to save some wage. Also I bought Jedvaji as he became Topraks partner in my starting team.

I sold Kruse for 6m € in summer and Bellarabi who didnt get as much starts as he wanted for 13m in winter. Plus I terminated the contracts of Boenisch and Hilbert who weren't playing anyways.

As the board gave me an initial budget of about 20m, I decided to cash in on Max Meyers contract clause to lure him away from Schalke. 19m for a promising german wonderkid, hope he will be worth it.

With the loan players coming back I send Yurchenko and Kohr to Bochum. Kramer and Milik look promising enough to keep and play them, Wollscheid could provide coverage for my defense. Will see how it plays out. Problem, especially now that Milik is back, may become Julian Brandt who became upset twice or more over the season because he wasn't a starter. I am tempted to try to sell him for good cash. He wouldn't be more than Drmic's backup anyway.

Does anyone have experience if Benjamin Heinrichs could become a decent enough player?

Hey guys, loving the challenge with Leverkusen - admittedly the team doesnt needs too much chopping and changing as the basis is there. Currently second in die Bundesliga...

Its going not bad atm - Munich have a two game in hand run and currently two points clear. Dortmund are five point behind me and one game in hand. Roma knocked me out of the Champions League - which was tough to take as we were the better team...

My best two so far over the season have been Hakan and Julian...

Heres Hakans stats

Signings wise - i brought in Esteban Paredes from Colo Colo and he has been everything i could of asked for..

Already building for next season i've snapped up Geronimo Rulli from Sociedad on a Free! Unbelievable Jeff...Him and Leno to now jostle and make each other challenge the Number one jersey...

Also this little tyke from Colombia..

Tactics wise im using 433 Crusher (Passion4FM) and 4451 Whitehawk SS1 rotating when necessary. Determined to come up with my own set of tactics soon.

Just been offered £50m for Hakan Calhanoglu....Very tempting to accept...