Despite dominating possession and tallying thirty shots, the striker warns that Leverkusen’s reliance on pure talent must yield to the grit and concentration required to secure victories.
Patrik Schick has delivered a blunt assessment of Bayer Leverkusen's start to the Bundesliga season, with the striker admitting that the points already dropped are becoming a serious concern.
As reported by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Schick was visibly frustrated after Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw by Augsburg despite controlling large parts of the match. The result leaves Die Werkself with just four points from their opening three games, a return that falls well short of the ambitions surrounding the club.
It really hurts me that we've already lost five points at the beginning of the season. We need to improve something. It's already five points in three games.
The frustration is understandable.
Leverkusen had enough control and opportunities in Augsburg to leave with all three points, but once again failed to turn their superiority into a decisive result.
The numbers underline that dominance. Die Werkself registered 30 shots and won 14 corners, while spending long periods in control of the contest. Yet a strong first half ultimately counted for little after Augsburg struck twice in a matter of minutes following the interval.
That sequence exposed a problem that has followed Leverkusen into the new campaign: controlling a match is not the same as controlling its outcome.
Schick believes the squad possesses more than enough individual quality, but that alone will not be enough to achieve what Leverkusen want this season.
All players who play for Bayer have a lot of quality. But it's not just about quality. In a Bundesliga match, you need other things if you want to win, the complete package.
That "complete package" is exactly what Die Werkself has been missing. The issue is not simply about taking chances. It is also about concentration, physicality, reacting when momentum shifts, and refusing to allow an opponent back into a game that should already be under control.
Against Augsburg, Leverkusen had the chance to put the game beyond reach before the break. Instead, they allowed the hosts to turn the match around almost immediately after half-time.
For a side aiming to return to the Bundesliga's top group, those moments cannot become a recurring theme. Four points from games against Elversberg, Union Berlin, and Augsburg leave little room for excuses based on the strength of the schedule.
Schick's comments therefore carry more weight than simple post-match frustration.
The striker is effectively challenging Leverkusen to turn their technical quality into consistency. The talent is clearly there, but the club needs to show that quality across the full 90 minutes, especially when opponents change the tempo and put them under pressure.
The performances have already shown flashes of what this team can produce, but those moments need to become the standard. Against Augsburg, Leverkusen had enough control and chances to win the game, yet another spell of poor concentration allowed the match to slip away.
As Schick made clear, quality alone will not be enough. Leverkusen needs the intensity, concentration, and mentality to match their technical ability if they want to turn dominant performances into victories.
