RB Leipzig kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 defeat away to Atlético Madrid, as their inconsistent start to the season continues to haunt them.
Despite having ended Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten run on German soil before the international break. Die Roten Bullen had failed to inspire in both of their home fixtures against VfL Bochum and Union Berlin, leaving question marks surrounding the ability of Marco Rose’s side.
However, after an exhilarating first five minutes, Leipzig had appeared to silence some of their critics after slicing through Atlético to take an early lead, but their hard work would be undone with an Antoine Griezmann goal that ultimately took the momentum away from the visitors for the remainder of the half.
After the interval, the rhythm of the game would remain largely the same, with Atlético looking the most threatening, but as the tie looked to be heading towards a draw, the hosts would find a winner through a towering José María Giménez header.
For Leipzig, they taste defeat for the first time this season, but this performance is not in isolation, and cracks at the club are beginning to show.
Is Marco Rose still the right head coach for RB Leipzig?
When Rose took over at Leipzig in September 2022, there was great expectation placed upon the former Borussia Dortmund head coach to turn the fortunes of the club around having drifted away from the club’s DNA under Domenico Tedesco.
Instantly, the Leipzig native made his impact felt at the Red Bull Arena, blitzing past Borussia Dortmund in his first game in charge of the club.
For the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign, no other side picked up more points than Leipzig in the Bundesliga from the moment Rose was appointed, leaving many to believe that had he been at the helm from the beginning of the season, then Die Roten Bullen would have been crowned German champions.
Nevertheless, last season, while Leipzig were able to boast victories against Dortmund and Stuttgart, as well as pushing Bayer Leverkusen all the way, it was their performances against the Bundesliga’s bottom-half sides that drew criticism from those outside of the club.
Defeats to Wolfsburg and Mainz combined with draws to the likes of Bochum and Augsburg prevented the Saxons from pushing past Bayern Munich and Stuttgart in the table, and for a club that should be competing for the Meisterschale on an annual basis, these results are simply not good enough.
As well as this, Rose’s Champions League history is far from impressive.
Despite having a victory against Real Madrid under his belt, a 7-0 defeat to Manchester City and the failure to progress past the round of 16 have seen Leipzig stall in their progression as a club.
Now being in this third season in charge, Rose has yet to turn Leipzig into a side of the calibre of competing for the Bundesliga or the Champions League, let alone winning either competition, and this season, they do not appear any different.
While they did outplay Die Werkself, poor home performances to Bochum and Union Berlin have emphasised that they have yet to push themselves to the next level under Rose.
On top of this, against Atlético, while Die Roten Bullen started well, after scoring, they collapsed, and their Achilles heel of failing to control a game and build momentum prevented them once again from taking three points away from the Spanish capital.
For the talent on offer to Rose, there is no doubt that the club should be performing at a higher level, especially considering that Xabi Alonso turned Leverkusen from relegation contenders to undefeated champions in a smaller time frame.
In almost three years, Rose has been unable to form a side capable of performing at a world-class level on a consistent basis, and they appear to not be ascending in their development.
Just a matter of weeks ago, Leipzig looked like favourites to win the Bundesliga, but having unimpressed against Union, they have now faltered in their first appearance in Europe this season.
After underwhelming once again in the Champions League, it could certainly be suggested that Rose does not have that much time left to turn Die Roten Bullen into the elite-level side they desire to be.
GGFN | Will Shopland
