Werkself review #SVWB04: ‘We have to defend right up to the final whistle'

Summary: Werder hit back twice

With seven new players in the starting XI compared with the 1-1 draw at Stade Brest in the UEFA Champions League, the Werkself were tested at the start of the game with two good chances for Werder Bremen's Marvin Ducksch producing impressive saves from Lukas Hradecky (14', 19'). But the first goal came at the other end: After good work by Jeremie Frimpong down the right, Victor Boniface converted from short range to give Bayer 04 a 1-0 lead (30') and that was the scoreline at half-time. After the restart, both teams rarely reached the opposition penalty box for a long time until Ducksch put Werder level with a header (74'). Parity only lasted three minutes before the Werkself retook the lead with an own goal from Werder Bremen's Felix Agu. Everything pointed to an away win – but Romano Schmidt netted the equaliser with a long-range effort on 90 minutes for the final score of 2-2. The match report is HERE.

Reaction: "We can't be happy at the end of the day"

Head coach Xabi Alonso summed up the game as follows: "We can't be happy at the end of the day, we gave the lead away twice. It's not the first time that's happened to us this season. There are a few things we need to correct. We can and have to defend better. At the moment we are lacking certain solidity. We'll get better when we get that back."

Jonathan Tah declared: "We have to defend right up to the final whistle. At the moment, we are often missing out on details and that starts with giving the ball away too easily. Everyone of us is responsible." Granit Xhaka said: "It feels like a defeat. We're giving away too much at the moment and are conceding goals too easily."

What the papers say: The third draw in the Bundesliga this season

The Rheinische Post report of the game reads: "Werder Bremen come from behind twice against Bayer Leverkusen to pinch a point from the champions of Germany. It is already the third draw for the Werkself in the Bundesliga this season." Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface each received high marks from the RP. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger awarded high marks to Jeremie Frimpong, Wirtz and Boniface plus Robert Andrich. Furthermore they report: "Moment of madness in defence costs Bayer 04 victory." And on the opening goal for the Werkself: "A prime example of the joy of playing [from last season]." The kicker sums the game up as follows: "Werder Bremen sounded the foghorn again – and nicked a point from the champions. The visitors from Leverkusen have to reproach themselves for giving the lead away twice."

Personnel: Adli centre stage - milestone for Hradecky

It was a brilliant gesture that once again underlines the fantastic team spirit in the Werkself squad: In the celebrations for the opening goal, the provider of the assist Jeremie Frimpong held up an Amine Adli jersey that was sure to elicit a smile in front of the TV screen from his teammate who suffered a broken leg against Stade Brest earlier in the week.

Lukas Hradecky made his 200th Bundesliga appearance for Bayer 04 in Bremen – the first foreign player to do that in the club's history. Hats off, Lukas! With his total of 301 Bundesliga appearances (101 for Eintracht Frankfurt), the Finland international has played the highest number of Bundesliga matches in the current Werkself squad ahead of Jonathan Tah (282) and Jonas Hofmann (266).

Stats: Boniface third-best Bundesliga striker

The opening goal at the Weserstadion was the sixth strike for Victor Boniface this season (level with Tim Kleindienst, Borussia Mönchengladbach). Only Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) have scored more goals. In addition, the Nigeria international has scored in three Bundesliga games in succession for the Werkself thereby setting his best personal run of the year since May.

With his opener, Boniface has also extended the Leverkusen run of Bundesliga fixtures with at least one goal scored to an impressive number of 23: currently the longest run in the league. Only two more games with a Bayer 04 goal scored is needed to equal the club record (25) set between April 2017 and January 2018.

The match stats are HERE.

Outlook: Two home games coming up

The Werkself entertain Bundesliga 2 club SV 07 Elversberg at the BayArena on Tuesday, 29 October (kick-off: 18.00 CET) in the second round of the DFB Pokal. That is followed three days later by the visit of VfB Stuttgart to Leverkusen. Kick-off of the Bundesliga top match on Friday, 1 November, is at 20.30 CET.