The most recent Champions League matchday saw RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain square off in a rematch of last season's Champions League semifinal. This time around, Leipzig claimed their revenge over their Parisian opponents with a 2-1 victory. Emil Forsberg's penalty proved to be the difference between the two sides. That being said, PSG's attempt to equalize was hampered by two red cards: one issued to Idrissa Gueye and the second to Presnel Kimpembe. PSG also played without their full complement of players. Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Mauro Icardi all missed the match due to injuries.
With all of that being said, Leipzig deserve much credit for their performance. Considering that their prior result in the competition had been a crushing 5-0 loss at the hands of Manchester United, it would have been all too easy for Die Bullen to have folded against PSG and slumped to another defeat. Instead, the club from Saxony dug deep and demonstrated their resilience and guts on their way to an impressive win.
Apart from their disaster in Manchester, this season has thus far gone well for Leipzig. They are once again firmly in the Bundesliga title race. What's more, their victory against PSG left them well-positioned to advance to the next round of the Champions League while also putting a serious title contender in jeopardy of being eliminated after the group stage.
One encouraging sign for Leipzig lies in the fact that their win over PSG was not even predicated on the performances of multiple shrewd off-season signings. Leipzig signed up Hwang Hee-chan and Alexander Sørloth from Red Bull Salzburg and Crystal Palace respectively. They also picked up Angeliño and Justin Kluivert on loan deals. Thus, they experienced absolutely no problems as they compensated for the departure of Timo Werner to Chelsea. Once these new additions acquire more of a presence within the team, Leipzig will only improve. The fact that a combined total of just €29 million was spent to bring all four players to the Red Bull Arena is especially remarkable, given their actual quality of play.
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann has also been continuing to prove himself as the best young coach in world football. I have sung his praises time and again, but it is true: even at this early stage of his coaching career, Nagelsmann is already one of the five best coaches in the world. He first worked wonders at Hoffenheim and has since enabled this Leipzig team to play at a level above their apparent level of talent. If Nagelsmann were to lead Leipzig to the club's first Champions League title this season, he would certainly be a part of the discussion as perhaps the best coach in the world. Although it once seemed likely that Nagelsmann would soon leave Leipzig for a more historic and iconic club, the signs now point to his remaining there for years to come.
Leipzig is a team which has been seamlessly put together. Despite never having had a true elite-level superstar on the team ever since they rose to the status of league title contenders, Leipzig have always been among the very best with regard to roster construction as well as player development. It is highly unlikely that players such as Forsberg, Werner, Dayot Upamecano, and Naby Keïta, among others, would have reached the heights which they attained if they had been at almost any other club. LeipIzig has clearly managed to get their front office, players, coaching staff, and everyone else involved with the club to truly buy into the system. As a result, they are now one of the best-run clubs on the planet. For all that can be said about how Red Bull took over the club, it can't be denied that they have since done incredible things there.
Despite their ultra-corporate exterior, Leipzig are a shining example of a club which have done things "the right way". A first Bundesliga or perhaps even Champions League title would be a just reward for the excellent culture which has been built at Leipzig. Will this be the season when Leipzig make a breakthrough and win either of these titles? Maybe not, but do not be surprised if a decade from now, RB Leipzig's trophy room is overflowing with silverware.
No comments:
Post a Comment