Bundesliga
After a summer of rebuilding, Leverkusen hit top gear against Heidenheim as all the pieces seemingly clicked into place for Die Werkself in a performance reminiscent of Xabi Alonso’s electric title-winning team.
Leverkusen’s starting eleven against Heidenheim featured four new signings, with two more coming off the bench as they hit the division's bottom side for six. It was a performance where the tone was set inside two minutes when Patrik Schick opened the scoring, and Leverkusen ultimately went on to plunder five goals inside the first 45 minutes.
The win was another display that showcased the young attacking talent of Leverkusen’s new front line. Ernest Poku continued his fine start to life in Leverkusen colours by providing a goal and an assist before the break to bring his Bundesliga total to four and two respectively in nine games.
Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 6-0 Heidenheim
The 21-year-old Dutch international joined Leverkusen from AZ Alkmaar in the summer and has quickly found his place in the starting XI, causing opposition defenders problems with his pace and trickery.
However, Leverkusen’s Man of the Match against Heidenheim was a youngster who has taken longer to find his feet at the club, Ibrahim Maza. After starting the first two games of the Erik ten Hag era, the 19-year-old initially found himself reduced to substitute appearances under new head coach Kasper Hjulmand, but his late heroics against Paderborn in the DFB Cup seem to have given him a new lease of life.
Since his late goal in that encounter, the former Hertha Berlin man put in a good cameo against Bayern Munich and played the full 90 minutes at Benfica in the UEFA Champions League in midweek. His fantastic performance against Heidenheim only further underlined his obvious talent.
Against Heidenheim, Maza scored his first two Bundesliga goals in a complete showing alongside Aleix García in central midfield. His directness with the ball and quick thinking made it so difficult for Heidenheim to get going, as he successfully escaped 77% of the occasions he was put under pressure despite being the most frequently pressed player on the pitch.
Speaking after the game, Hjulmand heaped praise on the youngster, saying, "He's a player who can play flexibly in the centre. He learns very quickly and works very hard".
Elsewhere for Leverkusen, Schick continued his return to form after his injury lay-off, scoring his first Bundesliga goal since Matchday 3 to add to his strike versus Benfica. The opener immediately put Leverkusen in the ascendancy, while his second gave his side a 3-0 lead and completely killed off any Heidenheim hopes of salvaging something.
It was a complete, free-flowing display from Leverkusen that moved them fourth in the table and back to within touching distance of RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, who both dropped points. The six goals scored also mean that Leverkusen are the Bundesliga’s second-top scorers behind Bayern, and they now also have the league’s second-best goal difference with +10.
The win brought back fond memories of Xabi Alonso's incredible team that won the 2023/24 Meisterschale in emphatic fashion. Although it is still early days for this young side, the future certainly looks bright once more.