A midfield crisis in the making: Granit Xhaka's decline is hurting Leverkusen

The Swiss star was the best midfielder in the Bundesliga last season. But he's now beginning to look like a notable flaw in Alonso's tactics this time around.

Bayer Leverkusen were remarkably fortunate to escape the Voith-Arena with all three points on Saturday. While Emiliano Buendia’s well-taken goal just a few minutes from full time had all the hallmarks of a team winning ugly and the intangible signs of champions digging deep for victory, in truth it was a match that Xabi Alonso’s side should have lost by a rather clear margin.

In the first half alone, Frank Schmidt’s determined hosts racked up an xG of 1.03 and routinely cut through Leverkusen’s jaded defence to create numerous chances on goal. Whether it was Adrian Beck’s close-range shot in the 11th minute, Benedikt Gimber striking the woodwork twice with one shot just 15 minutes later, or the one-vs-one opportunity that Marvin Pieringer audaciously attempted to lob over Lukas Hradecky 30 minutes into the match, the Baden-Württemberg minnows only had themselves to blame for not causing an upset against the German champions.

Although Leverkusen remain on course to push Bayern Munich to the final match days of the season, the BayArena side look far from their best and in many ways are stumbling from one game to the next like a dazed heavyweight waiting for the inevitable knockout blow. The back-line is in tatters with Alonso making drastic changes from one game to the next and the front line clearly misses the goals and assists of Florian Wirtz. But one aspect of Leverkusen’s team that is often overlooked is the midfield. And that’s perhaps where we’re likely to find the real reason behind the slow demise of the reigning German champions.

"Today and in Bielefeld weren't the games I expect from myself," admitted Granit Xhaka after the game, when confronted by reporters about his poor performance on the day. "Before that, I was actually quite happy with myself. It's normal to have a bad game every now and then. I'm only human." When asked if he was perhaps suffering from a league campaign that has so far seen him start every single match, Xhaka dismissed the idea that he needed some time on the bench. "I'm the first to criticize myself," said the 32-year-old playmaker. “But it's very important for me to be there to help the team in other ways when things aren't going so well."