The English press scoffs. Leverkusen's new coach puts the embarrassment against CR Flamengo's U20s into perspective. But midfielder Robert Andrich says: "It's a bit of a disaster."
19.07.2025, 13:27
dpa
Bayer Leverkusen's new coach Erik ten Hag has put the embarrassing 5-1 defeat to CR Flamengo's U20 team in his first match as Bayer coach into perspective. "They've never played together like that before," said the 55-year-old successor to coach Xabi Alonso about his team at the training camp in Rio de Janeiro, according to media reports.
"Ten Hag suffers the ultimate embarrassment", the English Sun mocked the former Manchester United coach. "He picks up where he left off: his first game as coach of Bayer Leverkusen ends with a clear defeat against a youth team."
"I don't really give a shit about results in preparation," said ten Hag drastically. He was more interested in "what I saw". And in the final phase, that was a "very good approach".
"Downright paraded at times"
Midfielder Robert Andrich, however, sounded a little different: "You come here, you notice that people are happy to see us, you can already feel a certain hype around Bayer Leverkusen - and then you are sometimes downright paraded," the 30-year-old international footballer was quoted as saying by Bild. "I don't want to sound too dramatic, but it's a bit of a disaster."
At the start, Bayer had only a few regular players on the pitch: Jonas Hofmann, Victor Boniface, Amine Adli and Arthur. After just under an hour, ten Hag changed almost the entire team and brought on Patrik Schick, Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka and Andrich, among others. Young Montrell Culbreath scored the consolation goal in the 70th minute.
Season dress rehearsal at Chelsea FC
Leverkusen will continue their training camp in Rio until Wednesday. On August 5, the team will celebrate the opening of the season with the fans in the BayArena, including a test match against Italian first division promotion contenders Pisa SC. Leverkusen's dress rehearsal for the season will take place on August 8 at Chelsea FC in London.
Bayer's first competitive match will be the first round of the DFB Cup on August 15 at SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach, a team promoted to the fourth division in Baden-Württemberg. For the Bundesliga opener, Leverkusen will host TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on August 23.
