Episode 117

New Era, One Question โ€” Demichelis's Leipzig Off and Running

Full Time โ€” The definitive weekly breakdown.

In This Episode:

  • ๐Ÿ“Š Match Review: Eintracht Trier 0-6 RB Leipzig (Sofascore Data Analysis)
  • ๐Ÿ”Ž Player Watch: Arthur Vermeeren vs Rocco Reitz โ€” the battle for a midfield spot: who staked their claim?
  • ๐Ÿ”ฎ The Preview: RB Leipzig vs Borussia Mรถnchengladbach (Bundesliga opener) โ€” Player Watch duel Seiwald vs Bolin & our score prediction
  • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Fan Voice: Featured comments from andriuxa.capas, @RBL_Trolly & Nitroso โ€” including "Nkunku must come"โ€ฆ and the news that he actually is.

Don't Miss Out:

  • ๐ŸŸ๏ธ The Digital Terrace: Don't just watch โ€” 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
  • ๐Ÿ“… Next Livestream: RB Leipzig vs Borussia Mรถnchengladbach
  • ๐Ÿ“ฅ Get Involved: Send questions via socials or record an audio message on SpeakPipe to be played on-air.
  • ๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Join the Show: Want to represent your club or share your RBL take? Book a guest spot here: https://rbltalk.captivate.fm/booking
  • โ˜• Support the Show: Help us cover running costs here: https://rbltalk.captivate.fm/support

Partners & Credits:

๐ŸŽต Music: Andrii Poradovskyi (Pixabay)

Transcript
Justin Crozer:

Two minutes

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That's all it took.

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Two minutes into a brand-new season, and

Bragan Gruda had already put us in front.

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By the final whistle in Trier, 6-0.

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New manager, new era, a summer that

flipped this club on its head, and a first

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competitive night under Martin Demichelis

that could hardly have gone any better.

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But hold your horses, because

it was a fourth-tier opposition.

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So what does it really tell

us about this Leipzig side?

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That's what we're here to work out.

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Plus, your best takes from the

digital terrace, a full preview

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of Saturday's opener at home to

Gladbach, and a certain prodigal

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son making his way back to Cottaweg.

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Trust me, you're going to want

to stick around for this one.

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Hello and welcome back to RBL Talk, the

independent community-powered home of RB

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Leipzig chat, coming to you from Adelaide.

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I'm your host, Justin Crozer,

and this is episode 117.

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Here's what's coming your way.

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We'll break down Demichelis' first

competitive test in the Pokal and

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run the Player Watch result on

the man we tipped last episode.

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Then it's over to you.

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The Digital Terrace has been

talking, and I'll be reading

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and reacting to your takes.

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After that, the main event, our Bundesliga

opener at home to Borussia Monchengladbach

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with a Player Watch duel and a score

prediction built off the numbers.

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And believe me, there's a massive piece

of transfer news to get before we're done.

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Loads to get through.

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Let's go, RBL.

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Right, the Pokal.

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The first competitive game of the De

Miceli's era, and we made the trip west

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to Trier, lower league, part-timers.

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The romantic underdog every

neutral wants to see cause a shock.

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But there was no shock.

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Let me set the scene, because

the numbers tell the whole story.

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We had seventy-two percent of the ball.

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We took twenty-eight shots to their seven.

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Eleven on target to their two.

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And here's the one that made me laugh.

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Touches in the opposition

box, Trier had four all game.

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We had fifty-nine.

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Fifty-nine.

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That's not a football match.

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That is a siege.

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Final score, six-nil, and

honestly, it could have been more.

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We rattled the woodwork

twice on top of it.

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And this one was over

almost before it began.

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Brajan Gruda lashed us out in front

inside two minutes, and by the

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sixth, Willy Orban made it two.

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Six minutes on the clock, two-nil,

and the tie as good as gone.

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Radu Baku swept in a third from a

corner right on the stroke of half-time.

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So we were three to the good at

the break without breaking a sweat.

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After it, Konrad Harder, fresh off the

bench, made it four before a stoppage

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time double to put the gloss on.

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Antonio Nusa with the fifth in

the ninety-second minute, and

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Ezekiel Banzuzi hammering a sixth

from a set piece at the death.

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Six goals, six different scorers.

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That's about as complete

as an away day gets.

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Never in doubt for a single second,

Trier made 25 clearances to our two.

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Their keeper, Weschel, made five saves,

four of them from inside his own box, and

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still fished it out of the net six times.

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49 touches for a goalkeeper.

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Spare him a thought.

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Busiest man in Rheinland-Pfalz.

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Our lad Vandervoort, on the other

hand, so untroubled, he finished with

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a perfect passing record, 16 from 16.

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Made his two saves, kept the clean sheet,

done Trier's one real sight of goal, was a

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Sean Blum strike just after the hour that

he pushed away, and that was your lot.

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Man of the match, no

argument, Willy Orban.

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A 9.5

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from Sofascore, and he

earned every inch of it.

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A goal, an assist, 94% passing, three

interceptions, every aerial duel won,

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a center half running the whole show.

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Ahead of him, Brajan Gruda was electric.

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A goal, an 8.4,

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and 240 meters of carrying

that had Trier chasing shadows.

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And behind them, Skipper Raum and

Costello Lekeba were metronomes.

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Lekeba alone knocked around 270

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meters of carrying and

hit 98% of his passes.

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This was a team that clicked.

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Now player watch.

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Cast your mind back to last episode.

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We didn't tip one man for this one.

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We tipped a battle.

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Arthur Vermeeren against Rocco Reitz.

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Two young midfielders scrapping over the

same spot in De Marchili's engine room.

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So how did round one go?

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Well, tellingly, neither of them started.

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Both came off the bench, but it was

Reitz who made the louder noise.

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On at 64 minutes and inside half an

hour, he'd laid an assist and carved

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out another big chance for a teammate.

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That's a pick-me-boss

cameo if I ever saw one.

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Vermeeren only got the last 10 minutes.

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Did the tidy stuff, a tackle,

an interception, but you

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can't state your case in 10.

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So round one goes to Reitz on impact.

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The fight for that starting

shirt, very much still on.

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One to keep watching.

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Now the caveat, we always add it's Trier.

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It's not the Bundesliga.

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You're supposed to win

these, and win them well.

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So I'm not going to sit here and tell

you we've answered every question

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after one cup tie against part-timers.

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But here's what I liked.

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The ruthlessness, 94 entries into the

final third, 75% pass accuracy up there,

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and a back line that gave up exactly

one shot inside our box all game.

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Demi Chalis wanted a professional,

no-nonsense start to his reign.

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That's precisely what he got.

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Job done.

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Into the hat for round

two, and we move on.

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Right.

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This is my favorite part of the show.

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Over to the Digital Terrace,

where you lot have your say.

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First one up comes in from Andryuxa Capas.

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I've probably butchered that.

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It's spelled A-N-D-R-I-U-X-A

dot C-A-P-A-S.

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Dropped in the Spotify

comments on episode, uh, 116.

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Here's what they reckon.

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"Great video.

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Nice collaboration.

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I think De Marchi could

be a positive move.

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As a former defender himself, he should

be able to clean things up at the back.

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Hope we're consistent in

the league and the Pokal.

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Anything can happen."

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First off, thank you.

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That generally means a lot, and

the collaboration you're talking

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about was our chat with Johannes

Martin, which I loved doing.

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But here's why I wanted to read yours out.

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You called it before we'd even

kicked a ball, a former defender

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who'll clean things up at the back.

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Well, Pokal Round One, Trier away, clean

sheet, and we gave up exactly one shot

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inside our own box the entire game.

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One.

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Now, tiny sample size, it's only Trier.

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I'm not about to build a statue, but the

very first sight of Demichelis' Leipzig

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was a back line that didn't give an inch.

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So right now, you're

looking like a genius.

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And on wanting consistency across

both the league and the Pokal,

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mate, that's the whole season in a

sentence, and it gets real on Saturday

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Next one, and this is a belter from

at RBL underscore Trolley over on X.

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A proper five things we

learned from the Trier game.

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Here's the list.

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Five things we learned from this match.

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Willy Orban does not deserve to be sold.

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He is still class.

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Gruda will be one of the most

important players this season.

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Nusa could finally have his

breakthrough season with us.

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Never start Gomez at striker again.

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Nkunku must come

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Right, let's take these on.

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Orban not deserving to be sold.

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Well, I just spent the last few minutes

telling you he was man of the match on a

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nine point five with a goal and an assist.

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So yeah, I think we agree on

that showing you build the team

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around him, you don't cash him in.

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Garuda one of the most

important this season.

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The lad scored inside two minutes

and carried the ball two hundred

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and forty meters on his own.

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Keep that up and you won't

get an argument from me.

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Noose's breakthrough.

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He rounded off his night with a stoppage

time goal and beat his man seven times.

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There is a serious player

in there if it all clicks.

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Then never start Gomez at striker again.

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Oof.

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Bit harsh, but I hear you.

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He hit the post.

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He missed a big chance.

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The finish just wasn't there.

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I'll stick up for him a little.

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He was getting into the right positions,

and he's a young lad learning a role.

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But I'm not going to sit here and tell

you he took his chances because he didn't.

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And finally, Nkunku must come.

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Well, sit down for this one

at RBL Trolley, because as I'm

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recording this, it's happening.

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Nkunku is on his way

back alone from Milan.

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Fabrizio Romano's called the here we go.

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You put a prayer emoji next to his name,

and the football gods went and delivered.

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I mean it.

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Every one of us would have

taken that in a heartbeat.

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And now we don't have to dream about it.

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He's coming home.

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Unbelievable, list mate.

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You might just be a wizard.

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And one more.

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And it's the perfect one to finish on

because it's the other side of the coin.

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This is from Nitroso in the

Digital Terrace on Discord.

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Despite a good outing today, I'm

very worried about our attack.

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We don't have a reliable finisher

and players like Gomez and

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Harder are very hit and miss

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And you know what, Nitroso?

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I can't argue.

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This is the honest bit.

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We struck six past trial, but you've

put your finger on exact question

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mark hanging over this whole season.

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Who's the reliable finisher?

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The striker deal fell through in

the summer, and right now, it's

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a case of everyone chipping in.

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On your two names,

though, I'll half agree.

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Go Mees, hit and miss is fair.

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He missed a big one and hit the post.

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But Harder, he actually took his

off the bench tucked away, so today

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He was firmly on the hit side.

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Still, the bigger point absolutely

stands, and it's the right

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thing to be worried about.

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Battering the fourth trier is one thing.

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When you're up against Bundesliga

back lines and you get two or three

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chances a game instead of twenty-eight,

you need someone who buries them.

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And notice, that ties straight

into the Nkunku news we just got.

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Nitroso, you're worried?

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With no reliable finisher?

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Well, a fella with 120-odd goal

contributions in this shirt is

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on his way back through the door.

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Now, full honesty, the last couple

of years at Chelsea and Milan

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have been stop-start for him.

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Fitness and all that, so I'm not

promising you vintage Nkunku overnight.

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But at his peak in red and white, one

of the most feared attackers in Europe.

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If Demichilies gets that version back,

your worry starts to look a lot smaller.

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Solve the number nine, and this

team looks very different, and

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we might just have solved it.

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That's The Terrace for this week.

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And did you notice the thread

running through all three?

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Read them together, and you've basically

got the story of our season already.

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The defense looks like it's in

safe hands, and the attack is the

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one we're all keeping an eye on.

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Perfectly put, the lot of you.

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Keep them coming.

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SpeakPipe, a comment on Spotify

episode, or straight into the

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Digital Terrace on Discord.

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The best ones get read right here

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quick breather.

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If you're enjoying this, here's the thing.

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RBL Talk has no corporate backing

and no club money behind it.

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It's you and me.

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No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion.

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If you wanna help keep the lights on

and the show free and independent,

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everything's in the show notes.

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And honestly, just sharing this

episode with one other Leipzig

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fan does more than you'd think.

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Right, back to it

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Right, the big one.

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Saturday afternoon, the Red Bull

Arena, and the Bundesliga is back.

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Champions League football returns to

Leipzig this season, and it all begins

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at home to Borussia Mรถnchengladbach.

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So what are we walking into?

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Here's the thing about Gladbach.

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They arrive in ominous nick.

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Their own Pokal round, one was

almost a carbon copy of ours.

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5-0 away at fourth-tier Schott Mainz.

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78% of the ball, 30 shots.

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Sound familiar?

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And their pre-season was frankly

a little bit frightening.

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Five wins from five that I've seen,

including beating Aston Villa 2-1

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and putting four past Hoffenheim.

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So Eugene Polanski's side roll into

town with a full head of steam.

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But, and it's a big but, dig into

that Schott Mainz game and there's

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a real chink of light for us.

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They were wasteful.

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Eight big chances created.

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Five of them missed.

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30 shots, five goals.

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So yes, they'll carve out chances,

but the finishing wasn't ruthless.

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And against a Leipzig backline

that just gave up exactly one shot

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inside our box all game, that could

be the whole match right there.

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The man to keep both eyes on is a

young forward called Hugo Bolin.

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He was Man of the Match against

Schott with two goals and 9.2.

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He's valued around 17 million,

and the German press are tipping

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this as his breakout season.

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Quick, clever, plays off the front.

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He's the one with the keys to hurt us.

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Oh, and one to file away for later,

Rocco Reetz, the very same from our

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Player Watch earlier, actually joined

us this summer from Gladbach, where

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he was their vice-captain, no less.

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He could well feature on Saturday,

but the real story there is for the

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return fixture when we travel to

Borussia-Park and he walks back into

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that stadium in front of the old crowd.

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Trust me, we'll give that one

the full treatment when it comes.

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Park it for now.

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And for us, Demirci's will be flying after

Trier, but let's be honest with ourselves.

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This is the real examination.

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A proper Bundesliga side, not

part-timers having a day out.

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The one question mark, and the

terrace called it, is up top.

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Now, help is on the way, and

Nkunku's return, which I'll

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come to, is a serious lift.

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But realistically, he won't be registered

and ready in time for Saturday.

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So for this one, the

question still stands.

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Who leads the line?

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Sort that, and with the way

we're defending, there's

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every reason to fancy us.

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And that brings us to the player

watch duel, and it's a belter.

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In the Gladbach corner, Hugo Berlin.

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In ours, Nicholas Seiwald.

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Berlin first.

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Two goals, man of the match, a

nine-point-two, and here's the

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number that leaps off the page.

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Nine shots.

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Nine.

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In just seventy minutes and seven of

them on target, this lad shoots on sight.

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And when he pulls the trigger,

he tends to hit the mark.

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He'll create for others too.

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He laid on an assist, but make no mistake,

he's a finisher first and foremost.

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The flip side?

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He also passed up two big chances.

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So even Bolin isn't that finished

article just yet, and that

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is the heart of my question.

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He piled all that up

against the fourth tier.

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Can he do it against a Champions

League Bundesliga side with a

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proper midfield in his face?

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Saturday, we find that out, and the man

I'd back to find out is Nicholas Seiwald

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Against Trier, he was our metronome.

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Nothing flashy, just total control,

96% of his passes in his own

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half, sitting in front of the back

four like a bouncer on the door.

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That's precisely the job on Saturday.

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Get tight, block the shooting

lanes, choke off the supply before

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it even reaches Bohlen's feet.

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Put it this way, if Bohlen's rattling

off nine shots again, we're in trouble.

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If Seibold's done his job right,

Bohlen barely gets one away.

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And remember how wasteful

Gladbach were in front of goal.

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Do the discipline stuff, and

you fancy us to ride it out.

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Let Bohlen off the leash, and that

is a very different afternoon.

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So here it is, Seibold versus Bohlen.

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I'll be watching that one like a hawk.

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Prediction time.

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And the usual health warning.

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This is a judgment call, not a gospel.

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Both these sides have so far only

played fourth-tier cup minnows

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and a few friendlies, so the hard

data's thin, and I'm not going

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to dress up a guess as science.

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But weighing it all up, we're at home.

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We're chasing the Champions League.

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They finished 12th last season,

and for all the preseason

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fireworks, they can be got at.

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So I'll go with a Leipzig win, but

a proper contest, not a cakewalk.

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2-1, Leipzig.

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Come and prove me wrong on Saturday

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right, let's bring it home.

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A few things to take away from today.

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One, Maarten Demichelis could

not have asked for a better

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first competitive night.

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Six goals, a clean

sheet, one shot conceded.

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Yes, it was only Trier, but that

is ruthless professional start, and

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it's exactly what you wanna see.

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Two, listen to the terrace,

because between them, they've

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sketched out our entire season.

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The defense looks like it's in safe hands,

and the attack, that number nine question

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is the one we're all keeping an eye on.

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And three, Saturday is the real exam.

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Gladbach are in form, and Hugo Burling

is dangerous, but they're beatable.

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I've said 2-1 Leipzig,

and I'm sticking to it

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Now this is the question for

the terrace, and honestly, the

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timing could not be better.

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Because it is no longer a rumor.

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As I'm recording this, it's happening.

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Christopher Nkunku is coming home.

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Fabrizio Romano's given the here we go.

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A loan back from AC Milan

with an option to buy.

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The boy who became a superstar in this

shirt is on his way back to Cottageweg.

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So at RBL Trolley on X, you've asked

for it earlier, and you got it.

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Which brings me to my

question for all of you.

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Under Demichelis, where does he play?

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Is he your out-and-out striker

leading the line and answering that

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number nine question in one stroke?

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Is he the number 10 tucked in

just behind the striker, pulling

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the strings the way he used to?

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Or is he back out wide,

a winger cutting inside?

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There's no wrong answer.

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I wanna hear your best 11 logic.

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Get it on SpeakPipe.

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That's up to five minutes of audio.

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Drop it in the Spotify comments, or post

it in the Digital Terrace on Discord.

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The best takes get played

right here next episode.

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Before I go, you know the deal.

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RBL Talk is completely independent.

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No corporate sponsors, no club

money, just me and this community.

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If you've enjoyed today, the best

thing you can do is follow the show

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wherever you're listening, leave a

rating if you've got a spare second,

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and share it with one other Leipzig fan.

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Everything is in the show notes.

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No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion, and

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that's exactly how we keep it.

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That's your lot for episode 117.

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I've been Justin Crozer, and

until next time, bye-bye for now

About the Podcast

Show artwork for RBL Talk โ€” RB Leipzig Podcast (English)
RBL Talk โ€” RB Leipzig Podcast (English)
The global home for RB Leipzig fans. Independent, fan-led coverage, in English.

About your host

Profile picture for Justin Crozer

Justin Crozer

Tactics. Terrace. Truth.

The Analyst from the Antipodes
I'm based in Australia, and I've spent years closing the 15,500-kilometre gap between the stands of the Red Bull Arena and the international fan community. I'm the creator and host of RBL Talk, where I pair the cold, hard data of SofaScore tactical breakdowns with the warm, unfiltered pulse of the global fanbase. I do it all around a 60-hour working week, with no corporate sponsors and no gatekeepers โ€” just one fan who decided the international RBL community deserved a home.

More Than xG
RBL Talk was born from a genuine love of the fearless, youth-driven football that put Leipzig on the map โ€” but I was never going to stop at verticality and expected goals. As the modern game drifts toward VAR overreach, all-seater sterility and the over-policing of the people in the stands, I've sharpened what this show is for. I'm not just here to talk about the three points on a weekend; I'm here to be a vocal advocate for the supporters who make the sport worth watching in the first place.

A Community-First Philosophy
From Digital Terrace Feed watchalongs to an active Discord home, listener takes via SpeakPipe, and my Player Watch segment, RBL Talk is built on one belief: football is nothing without its fans. It's a home for supporters who love this team but aren't afraid to demand more of it โ€” the kind of place where a regular fan, a rival supporter and a working journalist can all end up on the same mic. I've had guests from across the Bundesliga, from clubs around the world, and from the reporters and journalists who cover the game for a living.

Roots and Reason
My feel for the game runs deeper than one club, but it stays where it belongs: on the pitch. With my own family roots reaching back to Germany, I understand how deeply football and identity are woven together over there โ€” but RBL Talk keeps the focus on the football itself, not the agendas around it. That's the whole point.

I'm no trophy hunter, but I hold this club to a standard: competing for the Bundesliga and the Pokal every season, and going as deep as we can in Europe. Top four and a real cup run isn't a dream around here โ€” rebuild years aside, it's the baseline. This is where data meets DNA: the most honest, analytical and fan-first coverage of RB Leipzig I can put into the world.

Support RBL Talk โ€” RB Leipzig Podcast (English)

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