Soccer - "More mature and better": Leipzig's homework for the second half of the season
Looking at the bare figures, RB Leipzig can actually enjoy a peaceful Christmas break. They are in the last 16 of the Champions League and in third place in the Bundesliga with 33 points after 16 match days - the third-best score in the club's history. And after two triumphs in a row, the cup exit is bearable.
If it weren't for that darned end to the year in Bremen, which mercilessly revealed what the Saxons have been struggling with all season. "Sometimes it's not easy for us to score goals and decide the match in advance," said goalscorer Lois Openda after the 1:1 draw at Werder. "We have to learn how to score this goal so that we can kill the match off in the next few games."
Only Nagelsmann and Hasenhüttl better
The proliferation of chances has already cost points in Mainz, Wolfsburg and against Bochum. "We're too inconsistent here and there and not clear enough. We have to take that with us and we have to improve if we want to achieve our goals," said coach Marco Rose. Where we want to go, the air is mega-thin. "If we want to get there, we have to do everything at the top level. That's what it's all about for us, becoming more mature and better."
Leipzig have only been better twice at this point in the season. Under Julian Nagelsmann, they were top of the table in 2019 with 34 points. Under Ralph Hasenhüttl in 2016, it was even 36 points, which was enough to finish second behind superior Bayern. This year, they go into the break a maximum of nine points behind leaders Leverkusen. That has looked worse in the past.
On January 2, the season continues and heads straight into the sun. The team will be in La Manga, Spain, until January 7, and the first half of the season will conclude a week later with a match against Frankfurt. Emil Forsberg will already be missing then. The Swedish club icon played his 325th and last game for Leipzig in Bremen and is moving to New York.
Elmas as a replacement for Forsberg
Finding a successor is at the top of Rouven Schröder's to-do list. However, the sporting director and coach have a different type of player in mind. They would like a dribbler who can get down the wing and is not afraid of direct duels with opponents.
However, the first new signing will have other qualities. The transfer of Eljif Elmas should be finalized before the training camp. According to dpa information, Leipzig are very interested in the player and, according to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, an agreement has already been reached with the player. The transfer fee, which is likely to be between 20 and 25 million euros, is now being negotiated with his club SSC Napoli.
At the age of 24, the North Macedonian fits the club's profile and is regarded as a strong dribbler and technically adept. However, Elmas was deployed more in central midfield in Naples and therefore in a somewhat more defensive role than Forsberg had. In any case, Elmas is a different type of player to the recently traded Jadon Sancho (salary too high) and Bryan Zaragoza (to FC Bayern).
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Source: www.stern.de
