The dimension of the failure of the management of RB Leipzig can be seen quite well from the short period of time that has elapsed since a message that was remarkable for the football industry at the time: it was hardly more than 70 days since the public found out about the Coach Domenico Tedesco, 36, has given up an estimated twelve million euros. RB Leipzig had offered him a three-year contract extension, but Tedesco withheld the offer – even though he knew that if he did so, he would miss out on a higher severance payment.
On Wednesday, club boss Oliver Mintzlaff informed his coach early in the morning that he was on leave – after only five matchdays in the Bundesliga, with moderate results and eleventh place in the table and a crashing 4-1 in the Champions League against Donetsk. Or, if you extend the timeline: after Tedesco made Leipzig the best second half team of the previous season, the DFB Cup winner and the Europa League semi-finalist.
The fact that Tedesco said no to the contract offer at the time had a lot to do with a vacancy that explains part of RB Leipzig’s problems. Before signing, the coach wanted to know who would be the sports director and thus his superior in Leipzig in the future. Since the departure of Markus Krösche (Eintracht Frankfurt), this role has been filled by a triumvirate whose publicly visible head is Mintzlaff. Another question that motivated Tedesco’s no signing has now been answered: How would the club management, especially Mintzlaff, behave if things didn’t go that way? At the first stiff headwind, Mintzlaff sent the coach who had moved him to tears on the pitch after the cup win in Berlin into the desert.
Mintzlaff’s outburst of anger on Matchday 2 was fuel on a smoldering fire
Of course, one could now talk about the tactical aspects of Tedesco’s work. But the fact is: Tedesco had to work in a burning house since Mintzlaff showed nerves after the second matchday of this season and spoke of a “crappy” start. This sudden outburst – Leipzig had drawn twice in the league – fueled a fire that had only smoldered until then. And footballers have fine antennae, they perceive when a coach is counted. And for anyone who was slow on the uptake, Tedesco’s dismantling was recently part of the daily bread at RB.
The fact that there is dissatisfaction in the cabin also has to do with a transfer policy that Leipzig’s makers celebrate as great. In fact, it ended up bypassing the needs of the team and creating problems where none existed before. The defensive lift – urgently needed to be competitive with the top teams – was half-hearted. The new left-back David Raum is a big earner in Leipzig – and so far a shadow of the player who played in the national team in Hoffenheim. His performance brings back the memory of his predecessor Angelino every day.
In the storm, a penalty area striker would have been necessary due to Yussuf Poulsen’s long-term injury – but Timo Werner, the prodigal son of Chelsea FC, came along, who is not exactly that and gets along with Christopher Nkunku, Leipzig’s top player from the previous season, about as well mixed like oil and water in the passing game. The Werner personality also irritated striker André Silva, who is sulking latently – similar to access Xaver Schlager (from Wolfsburg), who cost twelve million euros but is now the victim of an oversupply of central midfielders.
Players with potential will think twice before staying in Leipzig
It is idle to philosophize about whether that would have happened with a sports director who, unlike Mintzlaff, does not come from athletics but football. But the probability is not so small. Now Max Eberl is supposed to take over as head of sport – provided that Leipzig agrees on a transfer fee worth millions with the Gladbachers, who are anything but amused about the rapid return of their ex-manager. It was still unclear on Wednesday when that would happen.
Everything quickly indicated that Marco Rose would inherit his colleague Tedesco as RB coach. Rose and Eberl worked together in Gladbach, that sounds like harmony. It will be interesting to see how the tensions develop in Leipzig. The new times will be exciting one way or another: The new coach has to get the curve with a struggling team, and Eberl will have to rebuild the squad in the foreseeable future. Players with potential like Nkunku, Olmo and Gvardiol will think twice before staying in Leipzig. Maybe even in winter.
For the time being, the club boss Mintzlaff can only be happy about one aspect: that he saved a lot of millions in severance pay through Tedesco’s honorable behavior.