There have been outbreaks of self-congratulation in Germany this season over the number of goals that have been scored (as well as claims the Bundesliga must have the worst defenders in Europe). A special piece of that praise belongs to Robbie Kruse. More than a third of the way into the season, Bayer Leverkusen's new striker – who is likely to play some part in Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Manchester United – stands as the most dangerous player in the league, according to one statistic at least. His namesake at Gladbach, Max Kruse, might lead the league for goals and assists, but hold that measure against minutes played, and the Australian leaves the competition for dead. A statistical anomaly? Perhaps. Or you might call it a fair reflection of a player who knows how to take his opportunities. After just 220 minutes of game time, his name stands alongside four goals (two coming off his own boot, two as assists).
Kruse has been used primarily as a sub by Sami Hyypia,buthis two goals (and one of his assists) date from his starting debut. From the opening half of that match in Mainz, no less. He’s made a habit of scoring on debut. He did it at his first club, Brisbane Roar, and then at Melbourne Victory. But he hardly needs a landmark occasion to find the back of the net, and his record in the A-League was his ticket to Germany. He was used sparingly in his first season with Fortuna Düsseldorf, as they climbed back into the German top-flight (they were down as far as the regional leagues just a decade prior). Once in the big league though, he became one of their most important players, involved in more goals than any of his team-mates. It didn't help them avoid the drop, but it did win him a contract with Leverkusen.
“He’s good for us because we need the runs behind the defensive line, and he’s doing them with good timing,” said Hyypia after Saturday’s win at Hertha Berlin. Brought on for the final 20 minutes, he immediately did just that, sashimi-ing the defence to bring him face-to-face with the Berlin keeper. Late in the game, he pulled off a similarly incisive run.
“I should have scored that first one for sure, but I didn’t,” he told the Guardian after the game. “With the second one, I couldn’t see the ball, where it was when it was coming down. But we won, that’s the main thing.” It was a win that saw Leverkusen move into second place in the league and, when Bayern Munich put Borussia Dortmund to the sword in the evening match, stay there. The chants of Neverkusen were ringing out loud and proud (and with a healthy sense of irony) in bars around the Olympic Stadium that night – though frequently seen in Europe, Leverkusen have never won the Bundesliga.
It was also a win completed largely without Sidney Sam, the Germany international who forms Leverkusen’s three-man strike-force alongside Stefan Kiessling and the club’s transfer record breaker, South Korea’s Heung-Min Son. Sam tore a thigh muscle in the opening minutes and will miss the United game.
Kruse and Sam have seen their numbers up in lights together all season, with the German typically making way for the 25-year-old’s fresh legs 10 minutes from time. Time on the bench is the trade off Kruse has made for the opportunity of playing in Europe. His Champions League debut came at Old Trafford, a 4-2 defeat for the visitors. Since then, Leverkusen are unbeaten, winning their next two home games and picking up a point in Donetsk (Kruse’s only other start came as a result of that match. The big guns were rested for the preceding Bundesliga fixture against bottom-placed Eintracht Braunschweig, a gamble that cost them three points and, possibly, the title.) If they can win this week’s return fixture against David Moyes’s side, they’ll go to the top of Group A with just one fixture, and a considerably easier one, remaining.
That match in Manchester was probably the first time most fans back home had seen Kruse play at club level since he departed for Europe in 2011. The likes of Fortuna, or even Leverkusen, don’t get much play in Australia, so just how far he had developed in Germany came as a very welcomed surprise during this year’s World Cup qualifiers. He put in another impressive performance in Sydney last week, this time under the watch of new Socceroos boss, Ange Postecoglou, and left the country as the Australian PFA's footballer of the year. A spot at the World Cup, his first, looks assured.
“It’s been a good couple of years for me and now with the World Cup coming up, it’s exciting times,” says Kruse. “So hopefully everything goes to plan. [Postecoglou] was great. It was a wonderful camp and we all worked hard, and it was an enjoyable game and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
As far as Hyypia is concerned, Kruse is on the right track, but has more to do before he can break apart the trinity of Kiessling, Sam and Son.
“He needs to work, continue to work hard in training and try to develop himself and get more into our system," says Hyypia. "It’s not a common system that we are playing, and it’s very important that he gets the system in his head better and better.
“The first time he played from the start he scored two goals and that was good for us and good for Robbie, good for his confidence. When he showed he can come on and play well and score goals, then he gets more opportunities. Today, he came on and he had a couple of chances and with a bit more luck, he could have scored two goals.”
