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- Five Exciting U19s To Watch At Bayer Leverkusen Under Erik Ten Hag & The Value Of Vertical Runs
Five Exciting U19s To Watch At Bayer Leverkusen Under Erik Ten Hag & The Value Of Vertical Runs
Today, we have a player analysis piece focusing on highlighting five rising U19 talents to watch at Bayer Leverkusen under Erik ten Hag along with a tactical theory piece on the value of vertical runs like those of Unai Emery's Aston Villa.
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Today’s TFA Posts ⚽
As a historic era for the club is coming to an end, with manager Xabi Alonso likely heading out the door to go to Real Madrid, it’s time to look forward to the future for Bayer Leverkusen, who look set to embark on a new journey under former Ajax and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
With a squad average age of nearly 27 and several key players, like Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz, also linked with a move away from the club in the summer, it’s clear that the look of the Leverkusen team will be different next season without Alonso and possibly a few others.
While they may need to reinvest in the squad to replace those who depart, they do have a promising crop of players coming through their youth ranks who could perhaps get the opportunity to show what they can do, if not next season, then certainly in the near future.
In this scout report and player analysis, we will highlight five players who were part of their U19 team, which just fell short of winning the German championship in that age category following a 5-4 loss to Köln in the final at their very own BayArena last weekend.
All but one of these players have already received first-team call-ups and matchday squad inclusions under Alonso, proving that the club does indeed hold them in high regard and part of their future plans.
Ten Hag should consider these growing talents as he plans his Bayer Leverkusen rebuild.
The act of receiving the ball to feet has become almost second nature.
From grassroots football to the professional elite, this pass-to-feet dynamic has evolved into the base unit of build-up play.
In this tactical analysis, we will examine how this stylistic evolution is reshaping attacking behaviour across modern systems.
Forwards drop in, midfielders move closer, wingers tuck inside—everything seems geared towards immediate possession control, even if it means sacrificing attacking depth.
Teams like Real Madrid, with players such as Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinícius Júnior, embody this trend at the highest level.
Too often, sides focus on neat construction, favouring short combinations and keeping the ball on the ground, even when a single vertical run could dismantle a defensive line.
But if receiving to feet ensures order, control, and positional superiority, why do so many teams still struggle to generate clear scoring chances?
The answer may lie in what’s missing: the run in behind, the blind movement, the space attacked before the touch.
In other words, that unstructured but lethal verticality that is often absent in today’s over-orchestrated systems.
TFA Archives 📆
Erik ten Hag will become new Bayer Leverkusen head coach, story confirmed.
Agreement done on two year deal until June 2027 to be signed on Monday.
Ten Hag gave priority to Bayer Leverkusen despite Ajax approach and will be the replacement for Xabi Alonso.
We analysed the top out-of-contract players for next summer across all positions: Salah, De Bruyne, Van Dijk & more.
Napoli’s proposal to Kevin De Bruyne will be valid for three years.
€6m/net salary per year for first two seasons, €5m/net for third season plus signing fee.
KDB, expected to announce his decision soon as he still has Chicago Fire proposal on the table.
Sunderland defeated Sheffield United in the EFL Championship Play-Off Final to earn promotion to the Premier League!
We analysed Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland tactics early on in the 2024/2025 season.
