The French stars at the heart of Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga surge
Martin Terrier’s late strike for Bayer Leverkusen in their 4-3 win over Mainz on Matchday 7 helped Kasper Hjulmand’s side make it three league wins in a row, and six consecutive games without defeat in domestic competition. Terrier isn’t the only Frenchman to have had a hand in making that run possible, however…
The former Rennes forward marked his return from a long-term absence in the perfect manner, sweeping home from close range to ensure Leverkusen’s fourth win of the Bundesliga season.
His entry onto the field less than ten minutes earlier saw him end a nine month spell on the sidelines with an achilles injury, and share the pitch with his compatriot and another former Rennes man, Loïc Badé, who has been vital to the Werkself’s strong start to this season.
Badé helped set the foundations for that gritty win in Mainz that extended Leverkusen's unbeaten run, having formed part of a solid defensive trio alongside Jarell Quansah and Edmond Tapsoba.
Watch: Leverkusen's touch of French flair in Mainz
Since Badé's first start against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 3, Leverkusen had won four and drawn three of their seven games across the Bundesliga and Champions League before their recent match against Paris Saint-Germain. He’s jumped to just outside the top 10 for aerial duels won in the league with 25, despite completing 90 minutes just four times in the team's seven league games.
Aside from his physical attributes, Badé has quickly established himself as a leader on the pitch, a role he’s slipped into naturally: “From my position, I can see almost everything. Sometimes I’m on the right, sometimes on the left — it’s easier to organise,” said the one-time senior France international.
“I try to lead when I can. I always want to win, so I naturally take responsibility and use my voice to help the team,” he added.
That winning mentality has only been nurtured by coach Hjulmand, who Badé was eager to heap praise upon.
“He wants to share his will to win with us, and he wants us to express ourselves on the pitch,” he explained.
“He has his own ideas, but he also gives us freedom to play to our strengths. Mentally, that’s his biggest quality.”
The Werkself’s backline has more than one French representative, with Axel Tape and a third former Rennes player, Jeanuël Belocian, making up the remaining contingent.
Since his arrival in the summer, youngster Tape has impressed with his energy and versatility, even almost scoring a brilliant individual effort late on in the win over Frankfurt. The 18-year-old has already made six appearances in all competitions this season, splitting his time between right wing-back, right-back and centre-back.
He missed their recent triumphs over Union Berlin and Mainz with a hamstring injury, which coincidentally opened the door for Belocian to make a long-awaited comeback against Union, who had missed eight months with an ACL tear.
Although only an extremely short cameo in the closing stages of the game, Belocian's return to availability gives Hjulmand even more defensive options. It also gives the Bayer No.44 a chance to form part of a young, exciting defence intent on pushing Leverkusen even further up the table.
Having already crossed paths with Badé in his time at Rennes, Belocian will have another familiar face guiding him back into the rigours of Bundesliga action.
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