Key Takeaways
- Bayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in the Bundesliga, with Patrik Schick scoring a hat-trick against his former club.
- Coach Ole Werner admitted his team were ‘too slow’ and failed to cope with Leverkusen’s attacks through the centre of the pitch.
- Christoph Baumgartner, who scored Leipzig’s only goal, insists the team will still qualify for the Champions League despite the heavy loss.
Bayer Leverkusen hammered RB Leipzig 4-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Patrik Schick netted a treble against his former employers. It was the Czech striker’s fifth hat-trick in Germany’s top flight. The result stunned the Saxony outfit. Despite this, they still control their own fate in the race for Champions League football.
Head coach Ole Werner pulled no punches in his assessment. “Everyone knows Leverkusen are a top side,” he remarked. “The problem was our display. We prepared for their strength through the middle. We failed to cope with it. Our defence could not handle their pressure. Going forward, we were sluggish and static for too long.”
Werner is enjoying a solid first campaign at the Red Bull Arena. He inherited a side that had just missed European qualification for the first time ever. Yet Die Roten Bullen have suffered badly against Xabi Alonso’s men this season. They lost both fixtures with a combined score of 7-2.
The 36-year-old has already switched focus to the next challenge. Leipzig host St Pauli next Saturday. “The season goes down to the wire,” Werner added. “St Pauli are fighting for survival. We must be ready for that battle. We will train hard this week.”
Christoph Baumgartner offered a united front. The Austrian midfielder grabbed a consolation for his 14th goal of the campaign. He conceded Leverkusen were the better team. “They earned the three points,” he said. “Sometimes you have off days. It is not acceptable, yet it happens to every club. We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We must review the tape and focus forward.”
Baumgartner pointed to inexperience as a possible factor in these big matches. “Maybe we need more maturity in these tests,” he suggested. “But what matters is our league position. I believe we will secure Champions League football. The fans will pack the house against St Pauli. I know we will deliver.”
The defeat exposes a concerning pattern. Six of Leipzig’s eight league losses have come against sides in the top six. Bayern Munich contributed an 11-2 aggregate mauling earlier in the campaign. Borussia Dortmund also escaped with four points after Leipzig squandered leads in both encounters.