The opportunity to turn the trip to Leverkusen into a break with great entertainment value was better than it had been for a long time.

After all, word has long since gotten around in the Bundesliga that the Champions League participants Bayer 04, after a botched start to the season with three consecutive defeats in competitive games, have now become a shy team that has not yet found a firm footing in its search for itself.

A realization that encouraged TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to further encircle the Rhinelanders in their energy-saving mode.

Strengthened by a 3-2 win after being 2-0 down over VfL Bochum, the Kraichgau team were looking for another big win with the Werkself.

Playful indictment

The fact that he was so convincing as in the 3-0 on Saturday afternoon with the goals of Christoph Baumgartner (9th minute), Andrej Kramaric (35th) and Georginio Rutter (78th) solidified the crisis of the pointless and winless bottom of the table and confirmed it the upswing of Hoffenheim, who appear to be more robust and resilient under the new coach André Breitenreiter.

What's going on with the Werkself, and what inspires the North Baden team, who fell from the Champions League ranks into the gray mediocrity after a long winning streak at the end of last season?

It was evident on Saturday that nothing was right at Bayer at the moment.

A single noteworthy goal opportunity from Moussa Diaby's shot (7th), which goalkeeper Oliver Baumann was able to parry with relative ease, reflected the playful indictment.

On the other hand, Hoffenheim delivered goals of high show value with his fun-and-mood football.

"A sensational goal"

The 1-0 hack goal by Christoph Baumgartner, who was surrounded by three players from Leverkusen, was a work of art.

The Austrian, this time an outstanding playmaker and finisher at the same time, spoke without exaggeration of his "most beautiful" goal to date.

Frenchman Rutter's 3-0 was a diagonal shot with elemental force, fired from the right corner of the penalty area and hitting the left triangle.

"A sensational goal," Baumgartner praised his 20-year-old colleague.

“He is an exceptional player with exceptional skills.

He has a great future ahead of him if he stays clear and keeps going.”

Patrik Schick, who was the second-best Bundesliga goalscorer with 24 goals last season, can only dream of a great season at the moment.

His account after three games is zero.

Its current performance is only marginally better.

But the Czech center forward is not alone in this.

Werkself without courage

He is surrounded by professionals who seem just as insecure and at a loss.

The third-placed in the 2021/22 season, who celebrated a highly attractive football with his fast-paced, sometimes weightless-looking combination football, currently seems walled in where fresh ideas and new courage are needed.

The mostly young team has lost the courage to counteract their own qualities.

Jonathan Tah, although the German national player is currently not an anchor in Bayer's defence, said after the sobering performance against Hoffenheim: "We can't always say that we're young.

We can't take that as an excuse.

We have to be professional and mature.”

Back to old, evergreen virtues: how can that work?

Sporting director Simon Rolfes, himself a former anchor player in Leverkusen midfield, says: "If things aren't going well and the results aren't there, it's important to find an easy game.

We have to regain our stability, compactness and confidence in our own strength." Coach Gerardo Seoane described the danger of the acute situation: "The fact that the crisis came so unexpectedly naturally makes it a bit more difficult to turn around."

"We played very manly today"

Worries that Hoffenheim don't have to worry about at the moment.

Defense chief Kevin Vogt praised the physical gain of the North Baden: "We played very manly today and we have boys who interpret it that way.

We lost that a bit last season.”

New forces such as midfielder Grischa Prömel, who has returned from Union Berlin, central defender Ozan Kabak, who has signed for ten million euros from FC Schalke, and left winger Angelino, on loan from RB Leipzig, embody the new defensiveness.

As does coach Breitenreiter, freshly strengthened by winning the Swiss championship with FC Zurich.

"He's very self-confident," says Vogt, "he sets an example.

And he has a very offensive approach to the game.

That's easy for us.” Bayer 04 felt the new force from North Baden on Saturday.

It hurt the Rhinelanders a lot.