Episode 112

UCL Bound! Schlager’s Strike, Orban’s Heroics & The Matchday 34 Preview

Full Time — The definitive weekly breakdown.

In This Episode:

  • 📊 Match Review: RB Leipzig vs St Pauli (Sofascore Data Analysis)
  • 🔎 Player Watch: David Raum vs Eric Smith — Did they make the difference?
  • 🔮 The Preview: SC Freiburg & Predictions
  • 💬 Fan Voice: Featured comments from Kenny(SpeakPipe) and Ava

Don’t Miss Out:

  • 🏟️ The Digital Terrace: Don’t just watch — join the community. Our Discord is the digital equivalent of the standing area; it’s where we talk tactics, vent after a loss, and celebrate every goal 24/7. Grab your spot on the terrace here: https://discord.gg/jE6ZzwcCYu
  • 📅 Next Livestream: Join us this Saturday at 11:00 PM ACST as we take on SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga on match-day 34!
  • 📥 Get Involved: Send questions via socials or record an audio message on SpeakPipe to be played on-air.
  • 🗣️ Join the Show: Want to represent your club or share your RBL take? Book a guest spot here: https://rbltalk.captivate.fm/booking
  • Support the Show: Help us cover running costs here: https://rbltalk.captivate.fm/support

Partners & Credits:

🎵 Music: Andrii Poradovskyi (Pixabay)

Transcript
Justin Crozer:

Cue the Champions League anthem.

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We are officially back after that absolute

heartbreak of missing out on Europe's

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elite competition entirely last season.

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RB Leipzig is returning

to the Champions League.

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Hello and welcome to

episode 112 of RBL Talk.

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I am your host, Justin Crozer, and

today we're breaking down the massive,

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nervy, beautiful 2-1 victory over St.

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Pauli that officially punched our ticket.

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If you were writing a movie script about

this season, you literally could not write

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a better ending for the specific match.

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The tension, the tactical chess match,

and getting to watch Xaver Schlager

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score an absolute wonder goal in his

final home game at the Red Bull Arena.

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It was perfect, but as always on

this show, we don't just ride the

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emotion, we look into the data.

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Let's pull up the Sofascore match data

and get into the microscopic details.

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Because to be completely honest with

you, this match played out almost exactly

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like we predicted it would last week.

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We knew Alexander Blessin

was going to s- bring St.

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Pauli to Leipzig, park the bus,

and try to drag us into an ugly,

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frustrating, low-scoring affair, and

they certainly tried their hardest.

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When you look at the match overview,

we completely monopolized the football.

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We held a massive 70% possession

and completed 646 accurate passes,

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compared to their mere 211.

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But for the first 44 minutes,

all that possession felt hollow.

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It was frustrating by design.

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When a team packs the center of the

penalty area with three giant center-backs

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in a rigid 3-5-2, your traditional striker

is going to get swallowed up, and poor

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Rômulo felt every bit of that isolation.

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He walked away with a quiet 6.2

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rating, managing just 31 touches

and getting dispossessed 10 times.

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It wasn't a lack of effort

from him, it was just the

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reality of the tactical setup.

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There was no oxygen in

the middle of the pitch.

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On the other side of that battle, Tomoya

Endo was an absolute warrior for St.

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Pauli early on.

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He pulled a 6.8

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rating, and his defensive

numbers explain exactly why we

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couldn't break through initially.

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He won all six of his aerial

duels and six ground duels.

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Every time we tried to whip any hopeful

ball into the box, he was there to head

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it away, racking up five clearances.

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Because the center was blocked,

our wide players had to take on a

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massive physical burden to create

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. Their own chaos.

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Yann Diamande and Rajan Gruda were

absolute dribbling machines out there.

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Diamande's numbers are outrageous.

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Six successful dribbles

and eight ground duels won.

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He was certainly taking players on,

driving the ball forward over 210 meters.

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Gruda matched that intensity

with three successful dribbles

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of his own on the opposite flank,

generating a team-high 0.59

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XG.

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They had to play incredibly high-risk

one-on-one football just to force St.

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Pauli out of their shape.

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And we have to acknowledge that St.

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Pauli almost made us pay for pushing

so high to support those wingers.

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In the 34th minute, completely against

the run of play, Martijn Kaars got loose

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on a fast break and hit the woodwork.

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That was a 0.35

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XG chance, their best of the

entire match up to that point.

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It was a terrifying reminder that

even when you hold 70% possession,

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a low-block team only needs one

mistake to ruin your weekend.

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But our ultimate tactical victory

came from how we broke the supply

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lines of their 3-5-2 system.

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And it starts with our wingbacks.

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We completely pinned their

wide men, Pereka and Luis

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Opi, deep into their own half.

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Opi had a miserable afternoon

trying to contain our right flank.

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He was subbed off with a 6.4

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rating and zero successful dribbles.

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Because those wingbacks

couldn't get forward, St.

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Pauli's central midfielders

were left stranded.

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Having to cover impossible amounts

of ground, look at Joel Chima Fujita.

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He had to engage in a massive 20

ground duels just to put out the fires.

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He was so busy doing the dirty work that

he offered zero key passes going forward.

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His midfield partner, Connor

Metcalfe, completely ghosted

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the game, losing possession 13

times before being subbed off.

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And that midfield mismatch set the stage

for the emotional climax of the season.

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Right on the stroke of halftime,

in the 45th minute, Xavier

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Schlager found a breakthrough.

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I want to spend a minute on

Xavier here because a 7.7

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rating is a phenomenal send-off for

his final match at the Red Bull Arena.

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He logged 81 touches, carried

the ball over 316 meters, and

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completely ran the engine room.

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But that goal, you don't have

to look at the XG on this.

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It was not an easy chance.

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It registered just 0.12

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expected goals.

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But he struck it so perfectly

that the expected goals on

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target skyrocketed to 0.73.

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It was a vintage Schlager strike,

especially when we needed it most.

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And it completely shattered St.

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Pauli's game plan right

before the halftime whistle.

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Coming out of the half, we looked

to put the game to bed, which brings

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us to our pre-match player watch

duel, David Raum versus Eric Smith.

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I think it's safe to say David

Raum won the battle empathetically.

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Raum basically operated as a left

winger, putting up a seven-point-four

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rating and providing the crucial

assist in the fifty-fourth minute.

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Meanwhile, we completely

starved Eric Smith of the ball.

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I warned you all last week that

Smith is their passing metronome, but

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under our relentless press, he only

managed forty-six touches all game.

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And look at the Sofa Score passing radar.

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It is covered in red, inaccurate

arrows pointing forward.

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We forced him to rush his

clearances until he was subbed

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off in the eighty-nineth minute.

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Raum's fifty-fourth-minute cross

found none other than Willi Orban.

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If you're a member of the Digital Terrace,

you know how crucial we can be of the

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backline last week against Leverkusen.

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Well, Willi Orban responded

with an absolute monster class.

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Sofa Score gave him an outrageous

eight-point-nine rating.

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He had a hundred and sixty touches.

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He completed a hundred and forty of

his hundred and forty-six passes.

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He completely dictated

the game from the back.

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And that goal, he buried an incredibly

difficult header from a corner that just

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had zero point zero two XG probability.

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Pure effort from a club leader.

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Up two-nil, Ol Werner went to the bench

in the sixty-nineth minute, bringing

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on Nicolas Seiwald and Max Grafe.

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The goal was to lock down the

flanks and recycle possession.

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From a passing perspective, they did.

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Grafe hit ninety-two percent

pass accuracy, and Seiwald hit

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eighty-five percent, but we lost that

aggressive forward-thinking bite.

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Both subs walked away with six-point-three

ratings, our lowest of the match.

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Our intensity dropped, and St.

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Pauli manager Alexander

Blessin smelled blood.

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He threw on Sesay in the

seventy-second minute, and the

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data shows exactly why he earned a

seven-point-five rating off the bench.

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In the eighty-sixth minute, Jackson

Irvine, who we kept completely

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quiet all game, finally slipped

his marker and found Sesay.

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The latter took a brutal zero point one

two XG half chance and turned it into a

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zero point six six XGOT clinical finish.

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Just like that, it's two-one,

and the panic sets in.

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Those last four minutes of stoppage

time were absolute torture.

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Irvine nearly broke our hearts in

the ninety-fourth minute with a shot

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on target, and Daniel Siani even

managed a header in the dying seconds.

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But the lads dug deep.

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Castello Lukeba cleared the...

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his lines.

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Willi Orban stood tall.

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The final whistle blew,

two-one to RB Leipzig.

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We suffered for it, but the

Champions League is coming

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back to the Red Bull Arena.

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That takes us right from the

data sheet to the grandstands.

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Let's head over to the digital

terrace for my favorite part

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of the show, the Fan Voice.

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I threw three questions into the

Discord after the final whistle.

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Where does Schlager rank in our history?

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How did you rate the tactical

setup and that late scare?

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And who was your man of the match?

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Ava dropped a great response

in the chat, and he came out

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swinging right out of the gate.

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On Schlager's legacy, he says he's

easily top five in the last four years,

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ranking him just behind Sabitzer, Xavi

Simons, Gulacsi, and maybe Nkunku.

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But then he dropped this absolute grenade.

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Ava wrote, and I quote, "I

think Leipzig's Nkunku was far

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worse than the stats showed."

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Ava, we might need to dedicate

an entire extra time episode

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just to debate that Nkunku take.

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That is incredibly spicy.

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But I completely agree that putting

Xaver Schlager in that elite top five

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category is totally justified after

everything he's given to this club

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When it came to s- the late St.

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Pauli push, Ava was brutally honest.

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He said, "The late push happened

because the players weren't even trying.

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They felt too comfortable, and

that almost cost us the game."

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And Terrace, Ava is spot on here.

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It completely validates what we just

talked about in the match review regarding

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those sixty-ninth-minute substitutions.

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The passing was secure, but the intensity

just completely fell off a cliff.

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When you get too comfortable

in the Bundesliga, even against

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a low-block team fighting for

survival, you can get punished.

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Lesson three on Cissé, we switched

off, and suddenly we were fighting

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for our Champions League s- lives.

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Ava's eye test saw exactly

what the moment data showed us.

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Next up, we have an audio submission

from Kenny over on SpeakPipe.

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Let's take a listen.

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Kenny: Hey guys, so it may seem sort of

obvious, but I think today is the perfect

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chance to reflect on the contributions

Willie Orban has made to this team and,

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um, and really sort of give him his dues.

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So for me, um, when you have a team

where, uh, there's so much rotation year

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over year on, on who's in the team and

there's so much youth and inexperience,

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uh, you need a, a real calm, defensive

bedrock to sort of just talk people

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through the game, make sure everyone's

doing their jobs and, uh, just be the

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sort of steady foundation at the back.

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And that's, that's been him, e-

especially I think this decade.

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Like, if you look just over the past

six seasons in the:

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uh, about 170 league games for the club,

which is streets ahead of anyone else.

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Even Gelassie, who would sort of,

uh, have been his cohort at the back

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there, obviously he missed a lot of

time with injury, and there's been

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times where Blazevich and Van der Vort

and, and others were ahead of him.

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So i- it's really been him as the

stalwart at the back, the ever-present,

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and, and obviously he's had a lot

of different partners beside him.

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But I think he makes them all better,

uh, just with his, with his cool and,

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uh, his efficiency and his experience.

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And I think, um, today I, I couldn't have

been happier for him to be the person

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who ultimately scored the goal that, that

qualified us for the Champions League.

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Um, and it's, and it's, it's, it's

notable because when he scores, he

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doesn't just score simple goals.

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These are always...

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Like that, that goal he scored

today, that's a difficult technique.

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He's, you know, maybe 12 yards from

goal, and he puts it back across,

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you know, and gives the keeper no

chance into the opposite corner.

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And it's, it's a tough goal, and

ultimately it's a goal that wins us the

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game and, and puts the club on a different

financial footing for the future.

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So I just think today is the day

for Willie to get his flowers.

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For me, he was the man of the match.

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Um, I really hope, I know he's 34

now, and there's talk of him moving

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on, but I really hope he gets, uh,

at least next season, even if it is

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in a reduced role, and he gets to

lead the team out, uh, as we return

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to the Champions League next year.

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But, uh, what a fantastic

day all over, all in all.

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Um, great to be back at,

at Europe's top table.

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Justin Crozer: Kenny, you

are absolutely spot on.

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Kenny makes a fantastic point about

Willy Orban's longevity, noting he

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has played about 170 league games in

the:

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calm defensive bedrock for a squad

that sees so much youth and rotation.

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You gave him your Man of the Match,

and the numbers back you up 100%.

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Sofascore completely agrees with your

eye test, handing him an outrageous 8.9

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rating.

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You can also point out how difficult

that goal actually was, having to

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head it from around 12 yards out and

put it back across into the opposite

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corner where the keeper had no chance.

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That was a phenomenally

difficult technique.

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In fact, the expected goals probability

on that exact header was just 0.02

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XG, but he placed it so perfectly

that the expected goals on

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target jumped up to 0.37.

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And to your point about him being the calm

bedrock for this team, he had 160 touches

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and completed 140 of his 146 passes.

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He completely ran the show from the back.

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At 34 years old, I'm right

here with you, Kenny.

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He absolutely needs to be leading

us out on the pitch in the

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Champions League next season.

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That wraps up the Fan Voice

segment and officially puts the St.

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Pauli victory in the books.

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The Champions League is secured, but

the Bundesliga season isn't over yet.

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Let's pivot to our final away

trip of the campaign, matchday 34.

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We are heading to the Europa-Park

Stadion to take on SC Freiburg

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this Saturday, May 16th.

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The physical and emotional contrast

between these two squads heading into the

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final match day is absolutely staggering.

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We are coming in completely buzzing.

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We sit comfortably in third place with

sixty-five points, and we have won four

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of our last five Bundesliga matches.

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We have our Champions League

ticket secured, and we're

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playing with the house money.

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Freiburg, on the other hand, is

walking into a buzzsaw of, of fatigue.

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They are currently clinging to seventh

place with forty-four points, but they are

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running an absolute gauntlet right now.

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They had to pour everything into

th-that massive Europa League

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semifinal against Braga on May

eighth, securing a three-one win.

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Having to t-turn right around and play

HSV just two days later clearly took

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a heavy toll on their legs, resulting

in a frustrating three-two loss.

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They have also suffered a brutal four-nil

defeat to Dortmund recently, showing just

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how fragile their defensive structure

can be when they are stretched thin.

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We have to ruthlessly exploit those

heavy legs because the overall

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statistical gulf between these

two sides this season is massive.

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When you look at the season summary,

we have been significantly more

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dominant in almost every metric.

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We have scored sixty-five

goals to their forty-seven.

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We average fifty-three point seven

percent possession and complete four

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hundred and twenty-six accurate passes a

match, while Freiburg sits at forty-eight

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point two percent possession and

struggles more with the ball retention.

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We are also creating an average

three point six big chances per

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game to their two point one, and

defensively it's not even close.

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We have secured eleven clean sheets in

the league compared to Freiburg's six.

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They have leaked a massive

fifty-six goals this season.

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If you want to know exactly when

we're going to break them, look

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at the goal distribution data.

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Freiburg is incredibly vulnerable

coming out of the halftime break.

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They have conceded seventeen

goals between the forty-sixth and

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sixtieth minute this season, their

absolute worst defensive window.

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Conservatively, that is the exact

time our offense catches fire.

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We have scored thirteen goals

in that exact fifteen-minute

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window right after the half.

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If it is tight going into the tunnel,

expect us to come out sprinting while

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they are still trying to find their legs.

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Finally, history is heavily

on our side for this one.

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We are currently riding a fourteen-match

unbeaten streak against them.

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We took them down two-nil back in

January, and we have a habit of

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dictating the pace right from the

kickoff, scoring first in six of our

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last eight matchups against them.

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The blueprint for match

day 34 is crystal clear.

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Dominate the ball, make them chase

shadows, exploit their heavy legs

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right after halftime, and close

out the campaign with three points.

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But to pull off the perfect away

day and exploit those heavy legs, we

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have to win the battle in the center

of the park, which brings us to our

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final player watch duel of the season.

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The entire game hinges on one specific

matchup in the middle of the pitch.

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SC Freiburg's breakout wonderkid, Johan

Man Zambi, going head-to-head with our

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Austrian workhorse, Nicholas Seiwald.

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Man Zambi has been incredible this season.

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The 20-year-old Swiss international

has made 26 appearances and

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boasts an impressive 7.21

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average sofa score rating.

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Looking at his attacking output,

he's bagged five goals and

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three assists in the league.

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But he isn't just a luxury player.

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He does the dirty work too, winning 5.4

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ground duels per game.

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He is a fast, dynamic,

and incredibly dangerous.

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But here is the catch.

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After that brutal Braga and HSV

double, he has to be running on fumes.

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That is exactly where

Nicholas Seiwald comes in.

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Seiwald is the absolute

engine of our midfield.

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He's been a beacon of availability, making

32 appearances and logging a massive 2,630

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minutes in the Bundesliga this season.

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He sits deep, completely dictates

the tempo with an 89% pass

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accuracy, and disrupts everything

the opposition tries to build.

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He averages 3.6

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balls recovered and 1.8

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interceptions per game.

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His job on Saturday is simple.

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Find Man Zambi, man-mark him

into the ground, and exploit

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those tight Freiburg legs.

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If Seiwald can neutralize their young

star and cut off the supply lines,

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Freiburg's entire attacking structure will

collapse, and we will be walking away with

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three points to close out the campaign.

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Now it's time to turn

the show over to you.

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We're coming off an incredibly emotional

Champions League clinching victory, and

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just watched an absolute maestro play

his final game at the Red Bull Arena.

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So here is my question for you

on the Digital Terrace this week.

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With Xavier Schlager officially

moving on after that fairytale

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farewell goal, who takes the mantle?

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Is Nicolas Seiwald ready to be the

undisputed anchor of our midfield next

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season, or does the front office need to

go out and make a massive summer signing?

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And if we do need to bring in

someone, who are you picking and why?

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I want to know who's at the top

of your transfer target list.

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Get your voice heard.

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This podcast is built for RB Leipzig fans

all over the world, and I want your takes.

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Drop your thoughts in the Digital Terrace

Discord channel, hit up our social

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media pages, or my absolute favorite,

leave an audio message via SpeakPipe.

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You've got up to five minutes to

record your thoughts, and the most

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insightful takes will get played

right here on the very next episode.

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And if you love these tactical deep

dives and wanna help keep RBL Talk

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running and the server costs covered,

please consider supporting the show.

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Check out the show notes for the support

links, the Discord invite, and all the

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ways to submit your SpeakPipe audio.

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That's all for today's extended breakdown.

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Enjoy the Champions League celebrations.

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Keep backing the lads, and let's get

ready to exploit a tired SC Freiburg.

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I've been Justin Crozer, and

until next time, bye-bye for now.

About the Podcast

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RBL Talk
The global home for RB Leipzig fans bringing you independent, fan-led coverage in the worlds language.

About your host

Profile picture for Justin Crozer

Justin Crozer

Tactics. Tradition. Truth.

The Analyst from the Antipodes
Based in Australia, Justin Crozer has spent years bridging the 15,500-kilometre gap between the stands of the Red Bull Arena and the international fan community. As the creator and host of RBL Talk, Justin brings a unique, high-definition perspective to RB Leipzig — combining the cold, hard data of Sofascore tactical breakdowns with the warm, unfiltered pulse of the global fanbase.

More Than a Club, More Than a Franchise
RBL Talk isn't just about xG and verticality. It was born from a genuine love for the fearless, youth-driven football that put Leipzig on the map. But as the modern game evolves toward surveillance culture and sterile atmospheres, Justin has redefined the show's mission. He isn't just here to talk about the win on the weekends; he’s here to be a vocal advocate for the supporters who make the sport possible.

A Community-First Philosophy
Through live-stream watch-alongs, an active Discord home, and the "Player Watch" segment, RBL Talk is built on the belief that football is nothing without its fans. Whether it’s featuring listener opinions via SpeakPipe or diving deep into the club's impact on East German football culture, the show serves as a "safe space" for those who love the team but aren't afraid to demand more from the institution.

Roots and Reason
With family roots stretching back to Germany, Justin understands that football is a marathon of heritage, not just a sprint for trophies. RBL Talk is where data meets DNA — providing the most honest, analytical, and fan-centric coverage of RB Leipzig in the podcasting world.

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