Atalanta Super Champions

I had expected Bayer Leverkusen to do better. I think everyone had expected Leverkusen, undefeated for 51 matches, to take their first European title, and to continue the crowning of a super season. 

Maybe Xabi Alonso and his team took victory for granted; underestimated the fact that they were up against a Super Atalanta side under Gianpiero Gasperini, who had exactly read how to play the Leverkusen of records.

Because there was only really one team on the pitch. Despite Leverkusen having the ball more, they were unnerved by Atalanta's constant high pressure that forced constant mistakes and lost them the midfield to a splendid midfield where Ederson was just one of the Atalanta players who fought with heart and played a marvelous match.

But the man of the match was undoubtedly the English-Nigerian Ademola Lookman. With three goals he was a constant headache for Leverkusen. In particular his second goal was a splendid strike in between the defenders, and his third a classic and well-executed counter-attack goal (when Leverkusen was feebly trying to go forward). 

Atalanta are fully deserved champions and one must congratulate them for a fantastic match when they seemed to be against the odds.

Bayer Leverkusen can still take a double when the face 1.Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final. But Atalanta has shown that the record-bearing Laverkusen are not unbeatable...

Leverkusen!

The German Bundesliga have new champions for the first time in 11 seasons, all of which have been won by Bayern Munchen. Bayer Leverkusen won their first title ever in style. with seven matches to go they are 16 points clear of Bayern Munchen and have in fact not lost a single match the entire season, something that could cement this incredible victory under Manager Xabi Alonso, who is already touted as one of the new great managers of the world, and may have offers from many of the clubs he played for as a player, such as Bayern Munchen, Real Madrid and Liverpool. 

That said he appears to want to stay in North Rhine-Westphalia with a club that had only been runners-up (and a memorable Champions League final in 2002). And more may be in store for Leverkusen this season, as they are on their way to the semifinals of the Europa League, after defeating West Ham 2-0, a tournament they are so far also undefeated at.

I think Leverkusen's victory is great for German football, as Bayern's dominance is broken by a team that plays good football and has managed to put together a solid side of players from all over the world, as well as many young players, but without any overshadowing superstar. Leverkusen are above all a team!

Bundesliga start

The Bundesliga opens today with defending champions Bayern Munich facing Bayer Leverkusen. Despite the dominance of Bayern Munich, the German league always has surprises, amazing young talent, plenty goals and some of the best atmosphere in Europe (Borussia Dortmund fans are perhaps the best I have ever seen).
And the Bundesliga leads the way also in terms of equality, with the first female referee, Ms. Bibiana Steinhaus, who will be making her debut in the Bundesliga! I hope that we will soon see her in the Champions League!
(but don't count on me not complaining about the referee anyway)

Messi five, Leverkusen 1

I am becoming more annoyed at Barcelona, but I do not believe that anyone can doubt Lionel Messi's genius after a night like tonight, where he (with some help from his teammates) trashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-1.
Barcelona had won the first match 1-3 in Leverkusen, and I must admit that I had doubts whether even to watch a match that would undoubtedly have as much excitement as paint drying. Still, I turned on the TV and let the match go as I did other things. In the end, one could not but help watching, even against a very poor Leverkusen side, awaiting for Messi's fifth goal that I think everyone knew would come, to become the first player ever to score five goals in a Champions League game.
Messi is a record-breaker, soon to become the most scoring player in the history of FC Barcelona, and well, to the rest of us, we are just without words.