Then stop Christopher Nkunku and Dani Olmo: With the loss of national striker Timo Werner, RB Leipzig did not stay long at the end of a turbulent week. In the 3-1 (1-0) win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, the Champions League round of 16 in the Bundesliga also showed all of its class.
“The boys pulled through today, that’s extraordinarily strong,” coach Marco Rose praised the powerful and enthusiastic performance of his team, which is now unbeaten in eleven games in all competitions.
With his tenth and eleventh goals of the season (17th and 57th minutes), Frenchman Nkunku was the sole leader of the scorers list. The Spaniard Olmo also scored in his first start after a few substitutions and his knee injury – with a full right-footed shot into the corner (69th).
“He can’t do it alone”
After the final whistle in the stadium catacombs, the 24-year-old had his former Leipzig teammate and compatriot Angeliño show him his little son. It goes without saying that Olmo was in a good mood – the attacker is already in World Cup form. “Dani Olmo is coming back to life after his injury,” said Rose. “Today I said to him: You are a pilot and you say how long it will take.” The attacker held out until the 76th minute.
André Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai also impressed in the Leipzig offensive. The absence of Timo Werner (ruptured syndesmosis ligament), who will also be absent from the World Championships in Qatar starting on November 20th, was well compensated for. Nkunku is “a difference player who has exceptional qualities, an incredibly fast pace,” said Rose of Germany’s “Footballer of the Year” but also emphasized: “He has a few guys around him who put him in the limelight: he can do it alone don’t go.”
Successor to Mintzlaff uncertain
Oliver Mintzlaff, for example, applauded his team with a satisfied expression in the stands of the 23,127 spectators in Sinsheim. Especially since that ended a series of eight winless away games in the league. It was announced on Friday that the managing director was leaving the DFB Cup winner and moving to the Red Bull group on November 15. After the death of company founder Dietrich Mateschitz on October 22, the 47-year-old will become one of three new managing directors at the beverage company.
RB Leipzig does not necessarily want to sign a direct successor. “We are now thinking about whether we will get another CEO or whether we will place even more trust in the current management,” said Mintzlaff on Sky. The future sports director Max Eberl (formerly manager at Borussia Mönchengladbach) has “enough tasks in the sporting leadership,” said Mintzlaff. “We have a great management team and we will not be without leaders. We have a very functioning club at all levels.”
The departure of Mintzlaff, who still wants to work on the Leipzig supervisory board in the future, is obviously not a headache for the RB professionals. “I haven’t thought about that yet. I don’t think much will change for us,” said international Marcel Halstenberg, who preferred to comment on his team’s strong form: “We’re playing well, we’re having fun, we’re defensive also good.”
