USMNT's Malik Tillman scored in Bayer Leverkusen debut, but 3-3 draw leaves more questions than answers

BREMEN — It's clear that Eric Ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen are a work in progress. On Saturday they twice blew two-goal leads to draw 3-3 against a 10-man Werder Bremen side. The meltdowns tainted what should have been a special day for Malik Tillman, who was able to get his first goal in a Leverkusen shirt on his debut during a great first half for the club. But it wasn't enough to push the team to victory.

After the match, a visibly frustrated Tillman relayed Ten Hag's words from the dressing room.

"We played like boys today and not men. He also said it's embarrassing how we finished the game, so the mood wasn't great," Tillman said. tHe still has hope for how things will go following the international break. "Our time will come and you will see a different Leverkusen." he question is, how long will it take for that Leverkusen to arrive?

It's a far cry from Xabi Alonso's team, which two seasons ago won a shock Bundesliga title, who were stoppage-time menaces clawing matches back from the death, with the Spanish manager seemingly always in full control of things around him before departing to lead Real Madrid during the summer. These are expected struggles, replacing an institution of a manager, and they highlight just how big of a job Ten Hag has in front of him.

While the Dutch manager was able to lead Manchester United to an FA Cup title in 2024, he was dismissed in the following year, and Leverkusen still felt that he was the right man for the job. Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has confidence in ten Hag being the right guy due to his ability in development, along with style.

"It's his ability, also with Ajax he worked with young players, but as well with United with some young ones, and that we like to play a dominant football, attacking football," Rolfes said. "He's shown especially with Ajax, and I think that it's key elements that we have to develop and focus on."

Only time will tell if that choice was a correct one. United are still struggling under Ruben Amorim, and Leverkusen not only have to replace a star in Florian Wirtz, but with eight major outgoings, Leverkusen need to implement a new system with almost more new faces in the dressing room than experienced ones. In the past, players like Granit Xhaka would've been able to rally the team to avoid dropping a lead, but with him now at Sunderland in the Premier League, someone needs to step up to be a leader on the pitch.

"[Lucas Vazquez] will help a lot, and during the week, it's also important if you have role models, high professional players like Lucas or, for example, Grimaldo who are role models for younger guys to see, what do I have to do every day to get better, and this way, Lucas will help us a lot," Rolfes said.

Bringing in players like Lucas Vazquez will add some experience to the side, but they'll need players like Tillman to grow and thrive under pressure if this transition is to work. That growth is already happening as he breaks down the match following the disappointment of the result.

"We are one group and we should stick together on the pitch. We've all been in this situation before, so it shouldn't be the way it was," Tillman said.

Only 23, Tillman is back in Germany where he spent time with Greuther Furth and Bayern Munich, taking a step up from PSV Eindhoven to Leverkusen, and he's aware of it. Wirtz's shoes are big ones to fill, and coming off of an injury, Saturday was the first game that Tillman played since the Concacaf Gold Cup, so even he isn't at 100% fitness yet.

Once he gets there, the American midfielder is a dynamic player that Leverkusen can build their attack around, but that wasn't the issue, as in 61 minutes of action, he made the most of limited touches, opening his account with his new club. He'll want to create more for others, but that will come as he gets more comfortable with his teammates.

The team felt complacent at times in defense, and that's another area where it's almost an entirely new squad from Mark Flekken in goal to Jarell Quansah and Loic Bade as a center back pairing. Following their success under Alonso, expectations are high for this Leverkusen side, and with how much change they've undergone, they could be too high for what will be a transition season.

"It's important to see that we're moving in the right direction. That we're working in the right way, and maybe you have challenges and disappointments. That's a part of the sport of life. Football life for sure, but to do the right things to create this team, to create a strong unit, and at the end to be able to get the full potential out of the players and out of the squad," Rolfes said. "This is for me the important thing that I feel like, okay, we're working on the right way, we are making steps forward. Setbacks are a part of this, that's normal, l but we have to move on from this."

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have strong sides who will likely finish in the Champions League places at the end of the season, while Eintracht Frankfurt are also contending. That leaves Leverkusen in a tight race with VfB Stuttgart, Freiburg, and, any other contenders that may emerge for a Champions League spot. It will be a tight race for the coveted UCL places, and a slow start to the season won't help things. Those around the club are confident that things will turn around, but coming off of this result into an international break can go a few different ways.

For those like Tillman, who won't be on international duty, this can be a time to work with the manager and other players around the squad to gain match fitness and come back stronger to face a tough Frankfurt side out of the break, but it can also see the draw fester and continue to spiral. It's a challenge that Ten Hag was bound to face eventually, managing Leverkusen, but he'll get to see how his team responds immediately. There may be new faces in the squad by the end of the transfer market on Monday, but that's not something that can be relied on, and with so much change already, the club needs to rediscover their identity and work toward stability.

Operating like things used to be will only lead to disappointment, and this is now ten Hag's squad. He'll have the time to leave his mark but it's up to him to determine if it's a good one or not.