Bundesliga 2022/23: Why Bayer Leverkusen’s disaster start saw a silver lining against FC Augsburg – tactical analysis

Being beaten in the first round of the DFB-Pokal against 3. Liga side SV Elversberg couldn’t have been a worse start for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2022/23 season, especially after an unbeaten pre-season. With another loss in a close match against Borussia Dortmund, Gerardo Seoane desperately needed to get some points on the board with last season’s 14th-placed FC Augsburg travelling to the BayArena.

Yet again though, Bayer Leverkusen finished the match empty-handed, following a smash and grab 1-2 win for Augsburg. Seoane’s team were the dominant side on the day with 2.5 xG to Augsburg’s 0.5. Sadly, for Leverkusen, what matters in football is goals and they could only convert one from their abundance of chances.

This tactical analysis will break down the key components of Bayer Leverkusen’s performance, using analysis to provide clarity on why the current situation of Seoane’s side is not as bad as it looks if they can fix the minor issues from Saturday’s tactics.

Lineups

Bayer Leverkusen lined up with four changes to the starting eleven against Dortmund, the most explicit being the suspension of Lukáš Hrádecký which gave Lunev the chance to make his first appearance in the Bundesliga. In defence, Piero Hincapié was replaced by Bakker at left-back, but the Ecuador international came on for him in the 65^th minute with Leverkusen level at that stage in the game.

With arguably the hottest prospect in the Bundesliga, Florian Wirtz, still injured, Gerardo Seoane is trying to find the perfect combination in attacking midfield to fill in while the 19-year-old is recovering. After the defeat to Edin Terzić’s Dortmund, Seoane swapped out the attacking midfielders of Bellarabi and Demirbay, to aid the height and aerial ability going forward as Sardar Azmoun started in number 10 alongside £12m signing Adam Hložek in left midfield. The rest of the squad has been the usual backbone from previous seasons in the 4-2-3-1.