Team of the season
Bayer Leverkusen’s double (almost treble)-winning season was so stellar that to describe it as such, or as the Bundesliga’s first-ever unbeaten season, almost undersells it. Xabi Alonso’s side were daring, thrilling fare throughout the campaign, signalling how serious they were to the world in late January by destroying incumbents Bayern Munich 3-0 at BayArena. They won the title at the first opportunity – again in great style, beating Werder Bremen 5-0 – and Alonso’s coaching skill was apparent at every turn, managing his squad through injuries and fatigue and expertly flipping the script in game, besides getting unexpected levels out of players like Jonathan Tah, Lukas Hradecky and Robert Andrich.
