RB Leipzig suffered a surprising 3-1 home defeat to Werder Bremen on Saturday. Sporting director Marcel Schäfer described the poor performance as a "real wake-up call".
The Red Bulls sit in eighth place in the Bundesliga table with three points after two matchdays. Their record shows one win and one loss, with four goals scored and three conceded. This leaves them already three points behind surprise leaders FC Augsburg.
What did Marcel Schäfer say about the defeat?
Marcel Schäfer, RB Leipzig's sporting director, was highly critical of his team's display after the match. "It was a real wake-up call, perhaps at the right time as well." Schäfer said verbatim.
He made it clear that the absence of key players like Castello Lukeba and Brajan Gruda was no excuse. "We fell well short in a lot of areas. The players we were missing are no excuse for that." the sporting director added.
What went wrong in the match against Bremen?
Schäfer pointed to specific tactical shortcomings that led to the debacle. In his view, the team moved the ball too slowly. They failed to get their wide players into one-on-one situations. Also, not enough players made runs into the opposition penalty area to create chances.
Having lots of possession, corners and crosses is not enough if they are not converted into results. RB Leipzig did not find enough ways to break down a side like Werder Bremen that defended very deep. The full overview of the current standings shows their worsened position.
What's next for RB Leipzig?
The defeat came after a convincing 3-0 opening day win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Now, Martin Demichelis's team must switch focus quickly. The Champions League opener against Como is on Thursday. That is the first opportunity for the demanded response.
The injury list presents a challenge. In addition to Lukeba and Gruda, Christoph Baumgartner and Rocco Reitz are also sidelined. The coach must consider the current injuries status. The next Bundesliga fixture is at home against bottom-placed Hamburger SV on September 13. This match is already marked as an important chance for three points in the fixtures list.
The team must correct the analyzed mistakes to get back in touch with the leading group in the league. The immediate answer is expected as early as Thursday in the Champions League.
