Bayer Leverkusen are building momentum on the pitch while managing growing friction off it. The Werkself have won four of their last five matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 home victory over Bundesliga leaders Freiburg on Sunday that lifted them to fourth in the table, level on 13 points with the Breisgauers. A 4-0 win at Lech Poznan in the Europa League earlier in the week underlined the quality Carles Martinez's side can produce when firing on all cylinders.

Yet the mood around the club is not entirely settled. Victor Boniface remains a problem that will not go away. The Nigerian striker stormed down the tunnel during the 4-3 win over Mainz after Martinez used his final substitution on Jonas Hofmann rather than bringing him on. Boniface has played just five minutes this season, and his reaction drew a pointed response from former captain Robert Andrich, who refused to comment publicly. Martinez said he was unaware of the incident during the match but confirmed the club would speak to the player. Sporting director Simon Rolfes was more measured, suggesting Boniface's overall conduct had been positive, but made clear the early exit from the bench was unacceptable.

Looking ahead, Leverkusen travel to Crete to face OFI Crete in the Europa League on 22 October, a fixture that offers another opportunity to consolidate their position in the competition. With Ibrahim Maza reportedly attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Arsenal, keeping their best players will be as important as results on the pitch.