Bundesliga losing streak
Discontent is growing at RB Leipzig
Status: 01.02.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Kevin Kampl lost with RB one after the other against Frankfurt, Leverkusen and Stuttgart
Quelle: Getty Images/Stuart Franklin
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No Bundesliga club started the new year worse than Rasenballsport Leipzig, and since the debacle in Stuttgart the mood has been at rock bottom. The club is in danger of missing out on the Champions League. This danger is already causing problems.
The 5-2 defeat in Stuttgart was still fresh when Mario Gomez (38) joined the error analysis at Rasenballsport Leipzig. In addition to the technical director of the Red Bull football department, supervisory board boss Oliver Mintzlaff (48) is also moving closer to the club, which he headed until November 2022, in times of crisis. After four games without a win, dissatisfaction is growing, including among the lenders. Because no one can and wants to afford to miss the Champions League.
Leipzig was the only club to lose all three Bundesliga games in January and dropped to fourth place. A six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund quickly turned into a three-point deficit. Missing the first four places and thus the premier class would have severe consequences: loss of income of 30 to 40 million euros and lower Red Bull payments due to the football club’s lower advertising value. The expensive squad would not be able to be financed in the long term.
The club also needs the Champions League as an argument for current and future players. The Leipzig team is currently fighting for a loan extension for playmaker Xavi Simons (20). Without the premier class, the undertaking would be hopeless. Exceptional player Dani Olmo (25) and top goalscorer Loïs Openda (23) also tended to spend at least one more season in Leipzig. But the desire to change grows massively without the Champions League.
The vicious circle: Without the highest level of sport and the associated high income, the departures could hardly be adequately replaced. Therefore it is clear: RB absolutely has to win against Union Berlin on Sunday. Marco Rose’s (47) job doesn’t depend on the result of the weekend. According to information from SPORT BILD, replacing the coach is not up for debate. He is viewed internally as ideal in terms of both sport and character.
Rose wants new players, but can’t get them
However, Rose is not excluded from the current criticism of the performances and results. Public discussions about sensitive topics do not go down well with bosses. Obviously, there are different opinions.
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Example of winter transfer and squad strength: In view of the small team and the high-profile departures last summer (Nkunku, Laimer, Szoboszlai, Gvardiol, Halstenberg) as now in winter (Forsberg, Werner), Rose repeatedly recommended bringing in another player . However, his superiors are convinced that the quantity and quality of the squad are sufficient to achieve the goals.
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And RB also doesn’t want to move away from its traditional transfer philosophy. When it comes to additions, the focus will continue to be on top talent; players will be allowed to leave if there are lucrative offers. However, especially in times of crisis, the sporting management realizes that upheavals in the squad make it more difficult to achieve consistency in performance, and experienced additions could provide more stability than very young players.
Example goalkeeper discussion: Janis Blaswich (32), who had been good for a long time, also seemed unsettled in Stuttgart. It is common in professional football that the competition with challenger Peter Gulacsi (33) was heated up publicly. However, the necessity is controversially discussed internally.
The search for someone responsible is ongoing
But the coach is currently not the focus of possible changes. When looking for a successor to Max Eberl (50), who was fired in September, the crisis is acting like a process accelerator. In the thinned-out team of those responsible for sports, Rose invests a lot of energy in transfer issues.
It is also clear that RB is currently not optimally positioned to make transfers as desired. Either exciting players like Hugo Larsson (19/Frankfurt) end up with the competition. Or, like Openda or defender Castello Lukeba (21), they are suitable, but too expensive with a transfer fee of over 40 and around 30 million euros. Therefore, the search for a new sports boss to complement sports director Rouven Schröder (48) is in full swing.
A win against Union would also help calm the issue.
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The article was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.