Timo Werner had buried himself in his warm down jacket and, despite his double pack gala against Augsburg, was thinking about the shattered dream of the championship.
“When you see how Dortmund and Bayern are weakening a bit at the moment, you should actually bite each other in the back twice or three times,” said the RB Leipzig international. While the Saxons consolidated their place in the Champions League with a 3-2 win over FC Augsburg, leaders Bayern Munich and pursuers Borussia Dortmund had to settle for draws against outsiders.
As a result, jubilarian Werner didn’t talk so much about his 100th Bundesliga goal in 244 games, but rather about missed opportunities. Those weeks in which “one left feathers” and was no better. Translated, this means: Without the defeats against Union Berlin, Mainz and Bochum, RB would now be at the top of the table. Instead, six points are missing to BVB and one more to Bayern.
Rose not satisfied with his team’s performance
“Yes, they give something,” emphasized sports director Max Eberl with a view to the competition. But in the end, the deficit six games before the end of the season is probably too big. “We should do our homework and win our games,” said Eberl. It is mandatory to qualify for the premier class, everything else is a bonus.
Meanwhile, coach Marco Rose was not in the mood for spreadsheets. Instead, the 46-year-old’s performance rankled. After a strong first half, in which Arne Maier turned the deficit through Kevin Kampl and Werner’s two-goal show, the team made it unnecessarily exciting. “I just want us to finish games like this more consistently when we are 3-1 up at home,” complained the coach. The connection by Ruben Vargas did not suit Rose at all, as it was the consequence of the increasingly lax style of play. “Because we give up balls, because we no longer have any depth in the game, because we no longer tie balls.”
The criticism was not aimed at all players, but even match winner Werner did not get off scot-free. “It’s important that Timo scores his goals,” said Eberl. “Nevertheless, I think there are two or three situations in this game where he can defend himself a bit more.” Admittedly, it was something like searching for a hair in the soup that the 49-year-old was doing.
Eberl puts pressure on Dani Olmo
If Leipzig pulls through its game until the end of the season, then the Champions League is practically booked. The away games in Leverkusen, Freiburg and Munich are the endurance tests in the rest of the program. In the middle there is the cup, in which Leipzig can reach the final again in Freiburg at the beginning of May.
Of course, Eberl is already working on the squad of the future. At the top of the list is Dani Olmo’s contract extension beyond 2024. Since the Spanish national player has been timid for weeks, Eberl now increased the pressure. The signature should not only be made when Leipzig is definitely in the top four. “We won’t want to wait that long. We want to know in advance how things will continue,” said the sporting director.
Olmo is being courted by several top clubs and is said to want to switch to FC Barcelona himself. As the Catalans can’t afford the fee for the 24-year-old, they are said to have suggested that the attacker join in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer. There was said to have been a meeting in Qatar on the sidelines of the World Cup.
