Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand criticised his team’s mentality following their shock 2-0 Bundesliga defeat away to Augsburg on Saturday.

The loss marked Leverkusen’s second league defeat within a week, with goals from Dimitrios Giannoulis and Anton Kade securing a valuable victory for an Augsburg side now under the interim leadership of Manuel Baum. 

Despite dominating possession and creating more chances, Leverkusen registered 20 shots but managed only two on target, even though 12 of those attempts came from inside the Augsburg penalty area. The visitors also posted a higher expected goals (xG) total of 1.63 compared to Augsburg’s 1.28.

The result handed Augsburg only their fourth Bundesliga win of the season, just days after the club parted company with previous head coach Sandro Wagner. Baum will remain in temporary charge for at least the rest of December.

Speaking after the match, Hjulmand expressed deep frustration with his side’s performance. He said that the team was obviously not satisfied with how they had performed and that it simply had not been enough. 

The Danish coach stressed that Leverkusen had not played with the right mindset and insisted they must be able to perform better, which was why the squad felt so disappointed. 

Looking ahead, he added that the players now had to quickly sort themselves out because two big games were coming up next week.

Hjulmand also emphasized on consistency as he urged his side to keep the same level of energy in each game.

Leverkusen return to action on Wednesday when they host Newcastle United in the Champions League, before travelling to face FC Köln in their final Bundesliga fixture of 2025.