WITHRalf Rangnick will return to Leipzig for the game against Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and at DAZN). Not in a responsible position, but as a television expert. There should be a warm welcome, Rangnick will shake a lot of hands and get a lot of hugs. He is still the best-known face behind the upswing of the corporate club, a kind of father to whom many important processes and decisions can be traced back.
One of them was to bring Jesse Marsch, who was very successful in the overseas department of New York, to Europe, where Leipzig as a location is undisputedly the heart of the global soccer company. Rangnick saw the American as a future head coach for the German branch and should be right. After a stopover in the Salzburg area, Marsch is responsible for the Leipzig team.
As for the timing of his visit, she could hardly have chosen Rangnick better. RB Leipzig is just getting ready to make the complicated act of self-discovery more and more successful. After the bumpy start in the league, the yield from the past five games is impressive. During this period, RB scored eleven points, with a goal difference of 15: 3. In between was the largely convincing first leg in Paris, but the RB unfortunately lost 3-2.
Symbol of the upswing
The team’s form curve is clearly pointing upwards. But is that enough to avert the end of the Champions League? RB Leipzig lost all of the first three games. In the difficult group with Paris, Manchester City and Bruges, nobody thinks about advancing. It’s all about third place and the associated opportunity to continue playing in the Europa League. With four points behind Bruges, an ambitious goal.
The hopes of a draw or no victory at all rest in Leipzig on the defense. It is the symbol of the recent upswing and the part of the team that has worked best so far in this new season. But now Marsch has to find a way to transport the nationally good values (ten goals against in ten games) into the European Cup. In the Champions League, the back line was much more vulnerable, goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had already suffered eleven goals in three games.
Three games, three defeats in the Champions League. Leipzig would like to improve its balance sheet.
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Image: Reuters
After initially trying things out, Marsch has now apparently found a formation and a line-up that builds on the sovereignty from the time of his predecessor Rangnick. The back four favored by Marsch but not very much loved by the players is no longer the first choice, the coach is now playing with three central defenders. In this system, RB Leipzig had played very successfully under Julian Nagelsmann.
Marsch cannot fall back on the same players as his predecessor who migrated to FC Bayern. Dayot Upamecano (Bayern) and Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool) have left the club. For this, RB Leipzig signed the French Mohamed Simakan and the Croat Josko Gvardiol, both were able to convince immediately, unlike most of the additions. Simakan, 21 years old, came from Racing Strasbourg, the two years younger Gvardiol from Dinamo Zagreb.
Together with the experienced Willi Orban they now form the chain of three. In this arrangement, the robust and strong duel Gvardiol was able to play out his strengths better than in the back four, where he was often used as a left full-back. There he did his defensive duties properly. In order to set offensive impulses, he lacks the technical skills and speed for this position, although he does it better in Leipzig than he did for Croatia during the European Championship.
Simakan was immediately allowed to play as a central defender while marching and had no problems adapting to the Bundesliga. With his physique and athleticism, he is predestined for the fast game demanded by Marsch, in which the defenders need to be up to date during the switching moments. As a haven of calm between the two newcomers, Orban directs the Leipzig defense, in the end the coordination between the three worked better and better, which will also be necessary against Paris.
Lionel Messi will be absent from PSG due to an injury, but Kylian Mbappé and Neymar should play together. At least Simakan played regularly against both of them in France. And mostly looked good.
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