How Bayer Leverkusen became the story of the season: Xabi Alonso's brilliant side are 41 games undefeated and could scoop three trophies... with West Ham posing their next hurdle

Bayer Leverkusen have been seconds from disaster a few times recently.

In deepest Azerbaijan they were heading for a 2-1 defeat to Qarabag in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie until Patrik Schick equalised in the second minute of stoppage time.

But that was nothing on the drama of the return leg, which saw Qarabag leading 2-1 deep into stoppage time and Leverkusen about to crash out of Europe.

Cue goals from Schick in the 93rd and the 98th minute to enact the most stunning of turnarounds.

It has been happening domestically as well. On March 30, Leverkusen were trailing Hoffenheim entering the closing stages only for Robert Andrich and Schick again to haul them out of the fire.

The upshot is that Xabi Alonso's team - incredibly - have made it to mid-April undefeated in all competitions and still on for a Treble of Bundesliga title, German Cup and Europa League.

Leverkusen put their 41-match unbeaten streak on the line again on Thursday night when they host West Ham in the Europa quarter-final, first leg.

Alonso may have committed his immediate future to the German club but had he decided to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, the players would have remained 'mentality monsters'.

There is a remarkable never-say-die spirit about Leverkusen. You simply don't get to this late stage of the season without losing if you don't have true mettle about you.

A big few days await them. Avoid defeat against West Ham at the BayArena on Thursday and it'll be 42 games unbeaten, setting a new record in any UEFA nation this season.

Welsh club The New Saints were 41 without defeat when they lost 2-1 to Airdrieonians in the Scottish Challenge Cup final last month.

For context, Manchester City are currently 26 unbeaten, an impressive run dating back to December 6. But Leverkusen are a whole new level.

They will clinch the Bundesliga title on Sunday with a win over Werder Bremen, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year monopoly.

In the final of the DFB-Pokal on May 25, they will begin as strong favourites to beat second division Kaiserslautern. That's three days after a potential Europa League final in Dublin.

With the likes of Liverpool, AC Milan, Roma, Marseille, Atalanta and Benfica still in the competition, it's a tall order but Leverkusen can dare to dream.

This Leverkusen team really have become a shining reflection of Alonso's coaching potential.

The Spaniard largely fielded the same starting XI in the early Bundesliga season, allowing them to gel together and calling upon squad players for the Europa League.

Everyone being involved has fostered the intense spirit of togetherness that is paying dividends now as Leverkusen rescue lost causes at the death.

The Nigerian striker Victor Boniface is their leading goalscorer with 16 in all competitions, having made an immediate impression in German football following a summer move from Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.

Boniface is just returning from the adductor injury that he suffered in January and will offer additional firepower to get Leverkusen over the line.

Florian Wirtz, 20 and considered the German national team's brightest prospect, has enjoyed a sensational season.

Pulling the strings from his No 10 role, Wirtz has scored 14 times and assisted a further 18 goals, making him undoubtedly the man West Ham must shackle.

Alex Grimaldo, who cost Bayer nothing to sign from Benfica last summer, has solved a long-standing issue on the left wing and has 11 goals and 15 assists.

But goals and creativity come from all areas of the pitch, one factor that makes Leverkusen so unpredictable for their opponents.

Only Bayern have scored more than Leverkusen's 69 league goals this season, but the difference has been in how few the Werkself concede.

They've let in just 19 goals, by some distance the fewest in the Bundesliga.

Alonso favours a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation, with Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincapie and Odilon Kossounou all reliable defensive options.

Arguably the key man, however, is midfielder Granit Xhaka, who acts as Alonso's lieutenant on the pitch.

Everything seems to flow through the former Arsenal man, who offers defensive cover as well as aiding the transition into attack.

Then there's Alonso, the magnetic personality driving Leverkusen forward.

As well as creating an intensity of football, he has shown the human touch needed to succeed as a top-level coach.

Alonso implemented a 'breakfast club' to foster greater team spirit and he joins players going through post-injury rehab out on the training ground.

And, yes, the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man - one of the most decorated midfielders to play the game - can still fizz a long pass on the training ground at 42.

Given the innate pressure that comes with such a long unbeaten run and the scrutiny over Alonso's future in charge, it's remarkable he has managed to filter out the external distractions.

This is already an historic season for the club so cruelly rebranded as 'Neverkusen' following all their silverware near-misses in the past.

Alonso and his team are putting all that right - and then some.