Watch: Bayer Leverkusen’s Spanish Maestros

If the top of the table looks the same at the end of 2023/24 as at the end of this calendar year, then Bayer Leverkusen will be crowned champions of Germany for the first time. Over the opening half of the campaign, Xabi Alonso’s charges have laid down a marker in no uncertain style, displaying an excellent balance of youthful exuberance and mature game management. New signing Alejandro Grimaldo has emerged as one of their pivotal players – a nominally defensive midfielder with an exceptional eye for goal and the sublime technique to exploit it. We take a closer look at his role and the Alonso system as a whole, in a team who have been captivating football fans far beyond the east bank of the Rhine.