[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"football-site-config":3,"world-cup-status-en":27,"news-detail-why-leverkusen-missed-champions-league-flekken-s-admission":43,"news-related-why-leverkusen-missed-champions-league-flekken-s-admission-en":79,"news-related-match-why-leverkusen-missed-champions-league-flekken-s-admission-en":26},{"adSlots":4,"affiliateMode":5,"brandName":6,"contentStrategy":7,"currency":8,"friendLinks":9,"homepageLayoutKey":10,"leagueFocus":11,"locale":12,"planVisibility":13,"seoDescription":14,"seoTitleTemplate":15,"siteCode":10,"siteName":6,"siteType":10,"subscriptionMode":5,"timezone":16,"id":17,"tenantID":18,"primaryDomain":19,"countryCode":20,"logoUrl":21,"faviconUrl":21,"theme":22,"seoKeywords":24,"status":25,"ads":4,"focusLeagues":26,"affiliatePolicies":26},[],"shared","Football Prediction Platform","scores_predictions","USD",[],"main",[],"en-US",[],"Football fixtures, results, free predictions, subscriptions, and clearly labeled partner links.","{page} | Football Prediction Platform","America\u002FNew_York",323900000000000000,1,"football.easytestdev.online","US","",{"primaryColor":23},"#1677ff","football predictions, football fixtures, football results","active",null,{"active":28,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"leagueImagePath":31,"seasonId":32,"seasonName":33,"startingAt":34,"endingAt":35,"daysToStart":36,"daysToEnd":37,"phase":38,"includeQualifying":28,"hostCities":39},true,"326135624916537344","World Cup","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.api-sports.io\u002Ffootball\u002Fleagues\u002F1.png","326255613308833792","2026\u002F2027","2026-06-11","2026-06-28",6,23,"upcoming",[40,41,42],"Mexico City","Monterrey","Zapopan",{"article":44},{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":45,"category":46,"excerpt":47,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":48,"leagueId":49,"leagueName":50,"matchId":51,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":52,"slug":53,"sourceName":54,"sourceURL":55,"teamId":56,"teamName":57,"teamIds":58,"teamNames":68,"title":78},"Mark Flekken, Bayer Leverkusen’s first-choice goalkeeper, has publicly addressed the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, offering a blunt evaluation of where things went wrong. Speaking to reporters, the Dutch international insisted that head coach Kasper Hjulmand should not carry the burden of responsibility for the missed target.\n\n“The trainer is not the person to blame,” Flekken declared, directly rebutting growing calls for a managerial change. Instead, he highlighted a worrying lack of mental strength within the playing squad. According to Flekken, the players struggled to maintain consistency and composure at critical junctures of the season, ultimately costing them a top-four finish.\n\nHis comments come after a turbulent campaign in which Leverkusen showed glimpses of quality but repeatedly stumbled in matches they were expected to win. The Champions League dream slipped away in the final weeks, leaving players and fans crestfallen. Flekken’s post-mortem suggests that the team’s mentality, rather than tactical shortcomings, was the decisive factor.\n\nThe goalkeeper’s stance is significant, as it shifts the conversation away from Hjulmand’s future. With speculation rife that the Danish coach could be sacked, Flekken’s intervention may provide him with some temporary relief. However, it also places the spotlight firmly on the players, who must now confront their own shortcomings.\n\nFlekken, known for his candid personality, did not shy away from personal accountability. He acknowledged that even he could have done more in certain situations, but stressed that the entire group failed to deliver when it mattered most. This collective admission of fault is a rare moment of honesty in modern football.\n\nThe response from the Leverkusen hierarchy remains to be seen. The club must now decide whether to retain faith in Hjulmand or embark on a new direction. Meanwhile, Flekken’s remarks will resonate with supporters who have questioned the team’s resilience.\n\nThe coming weeks are likely to see soul-searching at BayArena, with the Champions League miss serving as a harsh lesson. Whether this candid reckoning leads to meaningful change is the next pressing question.\n\nBased on reporting from Kicker.","news","Mark Flekken says coach Kasper Hjulmand is not to blame for Bayer Leverkusen missing the Champions League, instead criticizing the squad's mentality.","331410897194979329","326135627642834944","League","0","2026-05-17T10:02:21Z","why-leverkusen-missed-champions-league-flekken-s-admission","Kicker","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kicker.de\u002Fflekkens-gestaendnis-der-trainer-ist-nicht-der-verantwortliche-1220163\u002Fartikel#omrss","326257534396534784","Bayer Leverkusen",[56,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67],"326222707618222080","326222711976103936","326222712324231168","326255039712595968","326255040442404864","326257552176189440","326257568773050368","326222707169431552","326257545754710016",[57,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77],"Dender","Australia","Austria","Başakşehir","Austria Vienna","Austria Salzburg","Vorskla Poltava","Anderlecht","Newcastle","Why Leverkusen Missed Champions League: Flekken's Admission",[80,116,143,173],{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":46,"excerpt":81,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":82,"leagueId":49,"leagueName":50,"matchId":51,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":83,"slug":84,"sourceName":85,"sourceURL":86,"teamId":87,"teamName":88,"teamIds":89,"teamNames":102,"title":115},"Florentino Pérez pledges to sign Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté if re-elected Real Madrid president, with more defensive arrivals promised to revamp the backline.","337754542600884225","2026-06-03T22:24:58Z","konate-to-real-madrid-what-perez-s-election-promise-means","L'Equipe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FActualites\u002FFlorentino-perez-annonce-qu-ibrahima-konate-jouera-au-real-madrid-la-saison-prochaine-s-il-est-reelu-a-la-presidence-du-club\u002F1681616#at_medium=RSS_feeds","326257565535047680","Real Madrid",[87,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,66,99,100,101],"326257537865224192","326257556060114944","326257600507154432","326257610309242880","326257618995646464","326257621004718080","326257621155713024","326257534526558208","326257545918287872","326222713142120448","326222767416414208","326257546392244224",[88,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,76,112,113,114],"Estoril","Estudiantes L.P.","Deportivo Pasto","Club Queretaro","CA Estudiantes","Esteghlal FC","Esteghlal Khuzestan","RB Leipzig","Liverpool","Canada","Lesotho","Nottingham Forest","Konaté to Real Madrid: What Pérez’s Election Promise Means",{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":46,"excerpt":117,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":118,"leagueId":49,"leagueName":50,"matchId":51,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":119,"slug":120,"sourceName":54,"sourceURL":121,"teamId":122,"teamName":123,"teamIds":124,"teamNames":133,"title":142},"Patrick Wimmer leaves relegated VfL Wolfsburg for TSG Hoffenheim, swapping the Bundesliga drop for Europa League football after playoff disappointment.","337668028407746561","2026-06-03T16:52:19Z","why-patrick-wimmer-is-at-hoffenheim-relegation-to-europe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kicker.de\u002Feuropa-league-nach-abstieg-wimmer-landet-in-hoffenheim-1224518\u002Fartikel#omrss","326257534237151232","VfL Wolfsburg",[122,125,59,126,127,128,129,130,131,66,99,67,132],"326257534362980352","326257613643714560","326257661421031424","326257672598851584","326257761564233728","326257808217477120","326257801355595776","326257554411753472",[123,134,69,135,136,137,138,139,140,76,112,77,141],"1899 Hoffenheim","Hassania Agadir","Denmark","Derry City","Güzide Gebzespor","Derby","Arminia Bielefeld","Newcastle Jets","Why Patrick Wimmer is at Hoffenheim: Relegation to Europe",{"awayTeamId":144,"awayTeamName":145,"body":-1,"category":46,"excerpt":146,"homeTeamId":147,"homeTeamName":148,"id":149,"leagueId":49,"leagueName":50,"matchId":150,"matchName":151,"publishedAt":152,"slug":153,"sourceName":154,"sourceURL":155,"teamId":156,"teamName":157,"teamIds":158,"teamNames":165,"title":172},"326222712592666624","Congo DR","Athletic Club proposed a pay cut to Yuri Berchiche, stalling renewal despite 44 appearances last term. The veteran left-back's future is in doubt.","326222712143876096","Portugal","337603513989206017","327115058687512576","Portugal vs Congo DR","2026-06-03T12:31:32Z","why-yuri-berchiche-s-renewal-stalls-athletic-club-wage-cut","Marca","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.marca.com\u002Ffutbol\u002Fathletic\u002F2026\u002F06\u002F03\u002Fterzic-dio-renovacion-yuri-espera-respuesta-club.html","326257565275000832","Athletic Club",[156,147,144,159,160,90,161,162,66,99,163,164],"326255042430504960","326257537596788736","326257539962376192","326257550813040640","326255038114566144","326255040400461824",[157,148,145,166,167,103,168,169,76,112,170,171],"Servette FC","FC Porto","Como","SCR Altach","Santa Clara","FC Santa Coloma","Why Yuri Berchiche's Renewal Stalls: Athletic Club Wage Cut",{"awayTeamId":174,"awayTeamName":175,"body":-1,"category":46,"excerpt":176,"homeTeamId":177,"homeTeamName":178,"id":179,"leagueId":49,"leagueName":50,"matchId":180,"matchName":181,"publishedAt":182,"slug":183,"sourceName":184,"sourceURL":185,"teamId":174,"teamName":175,"teamIds":186,"teamNames":194,"title":202},"326257546094448640","Tottenham","Kirsty Hanson, WSL's third-highest scorer with 12 goals, is set to join Tottenham from Aston Villa, reuniting with Martin Ho to boost top-four push.","326257546425798656","Aston Villa","337516931395358721","326324148068421632","Aston Villa vs Tottenham","2026-06-03T06:38:09Z","kirsty-hanson-to-spurs-what-12-goal-star-brings","BBC Sport","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fsport\u002Ffootball\u002Farticles\u002Fcdxp165xw7ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss",[174,177,187,188,189,190,66,191,192,193],"326257545712766976","326222712429088768","326257546153168896","326257567078551552","326255038768877568","326257546258026496","326257545968619520",[175,178,195,196,197,198,76,199,200,201],"Manchester United","Scotland","West Ham","Brann","Hammarby FF","Manchester City","Arsenal","Kirsty Hanson to Spurs: What 12-Goal Star Brings"]