Episode 118

3–0 Doesn't Tell the Half of It — Leipzig Maul Gladbach | Nkunku's Back, Bremen Next

Full Time — The definitive weekly breakdown.

In This Episode:

  • 📊 Match Review: RB Leipzig 3–0 Mönchengladbach (Sofascore Data Analysis) — a 3.95 xG demolition the scoreline barely hints at
  • 🔎 Player Watch: Nicolas Seiwald vs Hugo Bolin — Did they make the difference? (Result revealed)
  • 🔮 The Preview: Werder Bremen vs RB Leipzig (MD2) & Predictions
  • 💬 Fan Voice: Featured comments from Ava (Digital Terrace) & andriuxa.capas (Spotify)

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: Werder Bremen vs RB Leipzig (MD2) — Sat 05/09, 15:30 CEST Weserstadion
  • 📥 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:

3-0.

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Baku, Nusa, Rietz, a clean sheet, a packed

Red Bull Arena, and Martin Dementulis'

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first league game in charge ends with

a win that looks on paper comfortable.

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But here's the thing, Terrace.

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3-0 doesn't tell you the half of it.

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Because the expected goals

on the night were 3.95

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to 0.97.

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Six big chances to two.

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25 shots to 15.

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And the only reason this wasn't five

or six or seven was a goalkeeper in the

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Gladbach net having the game of his life.

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This wasn't a 3-0.

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This was a mauling that

happened to finish 3-0.

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Welcome back to RBL Talk, Tactics,

Terrace, Truth, the independent

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community-powered home of RB Leipzig,

coming to you from Adelaide, wherever you

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are in the world, and however deep into

the early hours it is when this one drops.

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I'm Justin Crozer, and

this is episode 118.

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Big one today.

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We're breaking down the Bundesliga

Matchday 1 opener, Leipzig three,

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Borussia Mönchengladbach zero, and I

mean properly breaking it down, because

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the numbers under this result tell

a story the skyline only hints at.

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We've got the return of a familiar

face in the red and white shirt.

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We've got a player watch result

to settle from the last episode.

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And later on, we'll be

turning it over to you.

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The digital terrace has been

talking, and we've got a cracking

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submission, plus a shout-out to get to.

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Then we look ahead, Matchday 2, and

a trip that's got some history to it.

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No sponsors, no club line to tow, no

gatekeepers, just the football, the

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numbers, and pure Leipzig passion.

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If that's your thing,

you're in the right place.

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Let's do it.

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Right, match day one, Saturday

afternoon in Leipzig,:

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half 3 CEST, which for us back home was

:

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sensible late-night watch for once.

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Sven Jablonski, the referee,

Demichelis lines up in a 4-3-3,

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Gladbach come with a 4-2-3-1, and

a lone striker in Tim Kleindienst.

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And from the whi- first whistle,

Leipzig go for the throat.

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Now I wanna start with the stat

that frames the entire game, because

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it's the one that surprised me.

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Leipzig had less of the ball,

47% possession, fewer passes,

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4-2-7 to Gladbach's 4-7-4.

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They even lost the tackle count, 13 to 19.

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So this was not death by possession.

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This wasn't Leipzig strangling

the game with the ball.

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This was sharp, direct, vertical football,

win it, move it forward, hurt you.

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45 final third entries, 19 shots

from inside the box, and if you

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looked at the attack map, the play

is pouring straight through the

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middle and that left central channel.

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Not hopeful crosses from wide, but Leipzig

going through Gladbach again and again.

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And when you look at where the

shots came from, picture the penalty

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area, and picture a cluster of

shots packed right in front of goal.

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Six-yard line, penalty spot, dead

central, that's the money zone.

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That's why the expected goals hit 3.95.

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Leipzig weren't just shooting

a lot, they were shooting

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from the spots you score from.

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Expected goals on target, 3.41.

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That's a hatful of guilt-edged looks.

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Let's talk about the men who took them.

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The opener twenty-five minutes in,

Rydel Baku, right back, gets on

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the end of it, left foot tucks it

away, and Baku's whole game is the

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Demi Çelik's fullback blueprint.

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An eight point two rating, seven

defensive contributions, and get

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this, seven ground duels contested.

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Seven ground duels won, a hundred

percent, plus the goal before

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he made way just after the hour.

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That's a wing back doing both

jobs and doing them flawlessly.

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Second goal just after the break,

forty-nine minutes, Antonio Nusa,

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eight point three on the r- on the

night and relentless down that left.

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Forty-six touches, twenty-one carries,

eight of them progressive, a big

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chance created on top of his goal.

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Direct, fearless, took that moment.

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And the third sixty m- six minutes, Rocco

Reitz, right foot, assisted and the pick

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of the midfield performances, an eight

flat rating, three key passes, Leipzig's

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chief creator in the middle before he

came off to a well-earned breather.

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But if I'm handing out the man of

the match armband, and Sofascore

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did, it goes to someone who didn't

score and didn't get an assist.

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Brajan Gruda, eight point

eight, top score on the pitch.

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And I know what you're thinking.

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No goal, no assist.

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How?

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Because the underlying numbers are absurd.

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Zero point seven nine expected

assists, the single biggest creative

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number of any player in this game.

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Thirteen ground duels, eight dribbles,

two hundred and forty-three meters

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carried, two key passes, seven recoveries.

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His heat map is a wall of red

down the right and into the box.

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Gruda was the engine.

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He manufactured the big chances even when

his teammates didn't always bury them.

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That's a dominant performance

the scoreline never records,

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and exactly the kind of thing

we're here to shine a light on.

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Quick word on the other end of

the honesty scale, because we

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don't do rose-tinted glasses here.

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Tidy Ngome's picked up two assists,

two, and finished on a six point five.

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And when a two-assist man

rates that low, the numbers are

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trying to tell you something.

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Six unsuccessful touches.

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Possession lost nine times.

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His total progression was minus

16 meters, meaning on balance,

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he carried Leipzig backwards.

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He got hooked on the hour for the

returning man, so yes, end product

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masked a generally scratchy afternoon.

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The assists are real.

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The performance around it wasn't.

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And that returning man, Christopher

Nkunku, on for Gomes just after the hour.

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Straight back into it

in the red and white.

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An assist, a big chance created.

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Seven from seven passing across his cameo.

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We'll come back to Chris in a minute

because the terrace has some thoughts

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Now the defense, because this was a

clean sheet and it serves its due.

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Castillo Lecaba, 8.1,

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was a monster.

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16 defenses, contributions, 11

clearances, 3 interceptions, and

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then he'd win it and drive out.

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196 meters carried and 89% passing.

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Willie Orban won 6 of his 8 aerials

and, believe it or not, rattled the

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woodwork from a corner that came

that close to center half's dream.

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David Realm was the creative

fullback, a team high, .69

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expected assists off the

left with 9 crosses swung in.

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And in behind them,

Martin Vandervoort, 8.1,

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calm as you like, 100%

passing in his own half.

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And here's a lovely wrinkle.

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Vandervoort only made 4 saves.

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The Gladbach keeper made 8.

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But Martin's goal prevented

number, plus 0.68,

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was actually higher than

his opponent's numbers.

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Meaning on the fewer chances

he faced, he saved more than

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the average keeper would have.

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The standout, a full stretch stop from a

Frank Honorat corner in the 92nd minute to

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keep the clean sheet right to the death.

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One keeper made a mountain of saves.

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The other made the ones that mattered.

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Both earned their clean sheet story.

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One just did it in a black shirt.

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Because I have to say it, Moritz Nicholas

in the Gladbach goal was sensational.

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8.7,

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8 saves, 5 from the inside the box,

2 of them flagged as big saves.

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That man is the sole reason this

finished 3-0 and not a cricket score.

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Credit where it's due, he was

outstanding and he was busy because

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his backline had no answers.

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Not one Gladbach defender broke 6.3.

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The fullback with the toughest job

up against that Gruda Baku right

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side limped off injured on 76.

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That's what conceding 6 big chances

looks like at the individual level.

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Last time out, I set you a player

watch duel for this game, Nicholas

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Seiwald versus Hugo Böhlen.

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The Leipzig anchor against

the Gladbach forward.

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So who won it?

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And I love this because

the answer is, it's a tie.

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Generally, they both finished on six point

nine, the exact same rating, but they

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earned it in completely opposite ways.

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Seiwald's six point nine

was the invisible one.

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No shots, no key passes.

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That's not his job.

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His job was to sit in front

of the back four and hoover up

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seven defensive contributions,

three tackles, two interceptions,

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two clearances, six recoveries.

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He was the metronome that led the ball

players around him go and hurt Gladbach.

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You barely noticed him, and that's

the highest compliment you can

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play as a holding midfielder.

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Böhlen's six point nine

was the exact opposite.

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He was the one man in a Gladbach shirt

who actually looked like scoring.

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Four shots, zero point

three expected goals.

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He hit the woodwork, he forced a

save, he missed a big chance, and he

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won six of his seven ground duels.

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On a day his side got battered,

Böhlen was their brightest spark.

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Same number.

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Two totally different jobs.

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One quietly ran the engine room, the

other was the only genuine threat on

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his team, and they both did exactly

what their side needed from them.

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So I'm calling the duel a draw,

and I've got a feeling some

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of you called it the same way.

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Hold that thought.

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So match day one, a statement.

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Three-nil on the board, a mauling

underneath it, a clean sheet, and

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a returning hero back in the fold.

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Demichélis could not have asked

for a cleaner opening night.

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And speaking of calling it the same

way I did, that's where you come in,

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because the Digital Terrace has been

buzzing since the final whistle, and

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one of you in particular sent in a

submission I wanna get stuck into.

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Let's open the mailbag

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This is my favorite part of the

show every single time, because this

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is where the Terrace gets the mic.

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First up, over in the Digital

Terrace Discord, we've got a

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belter of a submission from Ava.

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Ava went through the big questions

from the match one by one, so I'm

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going to do the same, 'cause there's

some generally sharp reading in here.

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Let's go through it

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first question I threw out, Nkunku back

in red and white with an assist inside

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20 seconds of the action during return.

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Ava's verdict, great assist, but

after that he didn't do much.

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Now I'm going to gently

stick up for Chris here.

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And look, I get the eye

test read completely.

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It felt like the assist and then quiet.

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But the numbers push back a little.

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In 26 minutes off the bench,

Nkunku didn't just get the assist.

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He also created a big chance, posted 0.17

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expected assists, and completed

every single pass he attempted.

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Seven from seven.

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For a man just back in the shirt,

coming into a game that was already

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won, that's a genuine tidy cameo.

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So I'll meet you halfway over.

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It wasn't a highlight

reel after the assist, no.

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But he did do a bit more than

the eye gives him credit for.

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And honestly, I'll take quite efficient

from a returning Nkunku all season long.

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Next, Devin Schulze's league bow.

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How good was it?

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Ava reckons much better than

what we saw in preseason,

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especially in the second half.

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And I'm nodding along here

because that's spot on.

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The preseason worry was

the attacking transition.

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Could this side turn

dominance into damage?

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Two of the three goals

came after the break.

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The second-half momentum was

relentless, and the expected goals

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gap only widened as the game wore on.

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Preseason questions, first

competitive game answers.

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Good spot.

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Then the big one, player watch.

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Seiwald versus Bolin.

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Who won the duel?

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Ava's answer, Bolin played a really

strong game, so it should be a tie

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Now rewind just a few minutes ago

when I gave you that exact verdict.

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Both men on 6.9,

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opposite jobs, a genuine draw.

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Ava got there independently.

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Same conclusion, same reasoning.

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Bolin was that good in a beaten

side that you can't split them.

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This is what I love about

this community, Terrace.

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We're not just watching the scoreline,

we're reading the game the same

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way the deep numbers read it.

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Ava, you and Sofa Score are in

lockstep, and you're both right.

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Beautiful call.

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Your standout in the

three-nil, Ava goes for two.

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Lacaba, brilliant at carrying the ball

forward from the back, and Raum, who he

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reckons has leveled up since last season.

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Could not agree more on both.

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Lacaba's carrying was a

feature of this whole game.

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Nearly two hundred meters of ball

progression from a center half, and Raum

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off the left was creating like a winger.

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That team high expected assists number

backs up the level up read to the letter.

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But then Ava gets spicy,

and I'm here for it.

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Quote, "Two assists from Gomes, but

I don't trust him at all," and, "Lost

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all faith in Harder and Benzuzi.

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On Benzuzi, in ten minutes with

Van de Meeren, I feel like we

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have a lot more ball movement,

and Benzuzi is allergic to goals."

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Okay, let me take this fairly, because

there's truth and a caveat here.

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On Gomes, you're completely right,

and the numbers are on your side.

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We covered it.

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Two assists, but a 6.5,

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minus 16 metres of progression,

sloppy in possession.

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The end product flattered

a rough performance.

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Trust your eyes there.

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On Benzuzi, though, I'm going to have

to offer a slightly different lens,

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because allergic to goals is a great

line, but the data tells a kinder story.

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Benzuzi actually had 1.26

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expected goals this match.

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That's more than any other Leipzig player.

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He got into brilliant

positions again and again.

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He missed two big chances, yes,

but allergic to goals would be

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a man that never gets near them.

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Benzuzi got near them constantly.

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He just couldn't finish on the day.

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That's a finishing problem, not a

movement problem, and finishing is

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the most fixable thing in football.

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So I'm not writing him off just yet.

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Ask me again in five games.

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But I hear you.

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On the day, it was frustrating.

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And finally, what did the

Sofascore numbers back up?

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And Ava absolutely nails the brief here.

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He says, the whole defence rated over 7.7

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and deserved it.

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Seibold and Benzuzi on 6.9

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feels weird.

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And Gomes on a 6.5

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with two assists proves he played

horribly outside those two moments.

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And get this, Ava clocked that Gomes'

second assist wasn't even a key

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pass because Nusa did all the work.

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That, that is a terrace member

reading the numbers like an analyst.

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He's right about the defense.

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They earned every decimal.

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And he's right that a two assist 6.5

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is the stat screaming, look closer.

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That's not me feeding

you the tactics anymore.

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That's you handing them back

to me sharper than I gave them.

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Ava, outstanding submission.

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Generally, that's the standard

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And staying with this community,

a quick one that made me smile.

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Over on Spotify, A-N-D-R-I-U-X-A.C-A-P-A-S

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dropped a comment after last

episode, and I wanted to read it out.

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They said, "Thanks for the shout-out and

for talking about my comment last episode.

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Loving the interaction on this podcast.

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Can't wait to see Nkunku

back in the RB jersey

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Well, first of all, you got your wish

because Nkunku is back in the jersey,

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and he marked it with an assist.

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Perfect timing.

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But more than that, this is

the whole point of RBL Talk.

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This isn't me broadcasting at you.

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There's no corporate wall, no gatekeeper,

no comment that disappears into the void.

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You talk, I listen.

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We go back and forth, and

the show gets better for it.

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That's what independent

community-powered actually means.

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So thank you, A-N-D-R-I-U-X-A.

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The interaction goes both ways, and

it's the best part of doing this,

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and that, Terrace, is exactly why

I'll keep asking for your takes

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because you keep raising the bar

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We'll get into matchday two in just

a second, but first, a quick word

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Quick one and then straight

back to the football.

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RBL Talk has no sponsors, no

corporate backing, no club money.

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That's a choice because it means

nobody gets to tell me what I can

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and can't say about this team.

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No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion.

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But independent only works if the

people who value it keep the lights on.

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So this show adds something to your week.

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If the analyst makes you see the

football a little differently,

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or the terrace feels like home.

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There are a few free

ways to keep it going.

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Hit follow wherever you're listening,

leave a rating or a review.

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It generally moves the needle on getting

new Leipzig fans through the door.

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Share an episode with

one mate who'd get it.

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And if you wanna go further, the

support links are in the show notes.

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Every bit goes straight back into keeping

this show free, independent, and yours.

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And don't forget the Digital Terrace feed.

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That's where we go live for the matches.

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Real-time commentary, tactical reactions,

sofa score breakdowns as it happens.

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If you like the deep dive, the feed is

where we do it together in real time.

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Links as always in the show notes.

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That's it.

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No hard sell.

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Back to the football

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Right.

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Match day two, a trip north, a ground with

a bit of history for this football club,

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and a chance to make it two wins from two.

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Let's talk about it

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Match day two, Saturday the 5th of

September,:

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CEST, which back home is 23:11 PM ACST.

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Another late one for the Adelaide crew.

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We're off to the Weserstadion to face

Werder Bremen, and I wanna start with

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a number that made me smile because it

sets the tone for this whole preview.

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In the all-time Bundesliga

head-to-head, Werder Bremen

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have never beaten RB Leipzig.

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Never.

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The record reads six Leipzig wins,

four draws, and zero, zero Bremen

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victories, and it's not just history.

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Leipzig are unbeaten in their

last four league trips to the

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Weserstadion, specifically two

wins, two draws, including a 2-1

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on the last visit back in April.

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This is, by every measure,

a happy hunting ground.

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Now, I always tell you, past results

don't play the next match, so let's look

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at what's actually in front of us because

the form picture only deepens the story.

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Bremen opened their season away at

Freiburg, and it didn't go well.

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They lost four-one, and the

underlying numbers are even

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uglier than the scoreline.

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Bremen mustered zero point four

eight expected goals across

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the entire ninety minutes.

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Zero point four eight, nine shots,

only three on target, and they were

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out-tackled twenty-eight to nine.

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And that stat is the tell.

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When your team is racking up twenty-eight

tackles, you are not the team on the ball.

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You are chasing, defending

deep, second to everything.

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Freiburg had them pinned.

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So here's the setup, and it's a stark one.

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Leipzig arrive off a matchday

one where they generated three

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point nine five expected goals.

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Bremen arrive off a matchday

one where they conceded four

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and created next to nothing.

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On paper, that's a mismatch.

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The caveat, and there's always a caveat,

is that a wounded team at home in front

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of their own crowd is a dangerous animal.

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Bremen will scrap.

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They will make it physical.

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But if Leipzig bring what they

brought against Gladbach, this has

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the makings of another statement.

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So here's your player watch duel for

this one, and it carries a thread

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we've been pulling all episode.

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On one side, Bremen's captain

and center half, Marco Friedl.

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On the other, our returning

man, Christopher Nkunku.

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Let me set the stage on Friedl,

because I don't want anyone

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thinking this is a weak link pick.

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It's the opposite.

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Against Freiburg, Friedl was

Bremen's busiest defender and

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generally excellent on the ball.

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97% passing, 78 from 70,

and 100% in his own half.

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219 meters carried.

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This is a composed,

press-resistant, ball-playing

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captain who barely gives it away.

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But here's the how Leipzig

will hurt him part.

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Look at what Friedl actually

had to do against Freiburg.

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11 defensive contributions,

six clearances, six recoveries,

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two interceptions, two blocks.

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His heat map is a red smear

right across his own box.

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That's not a defender controlling a game.

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That's a defender under siege,

making save after save because

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his team couldn't stem the tide.

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And Leipzig's entire match day one

identity was exactly the thing that

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overwhelms a center half like that.

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Relentless, vertical, wave after

wave, attacking through the middle.

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That's where Nkunku comes in.

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Even as an impact sub, and he may well

start this one, Chris is precisely the

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between the lines threat that drags

a center back into no-win decisions.

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Does Friedl step out to meet him and

leave space in behind, or drop off and

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:

let Nkunku turn and run at the back line?

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In his 26 minutes against Gladbach, Nkunku

already showed the end products there.

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An assist, a big chance created,

seven from seven passing.

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So how does Bremen's Friedl

try to win this duel?

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He needs to defend on the front foot.

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Step early, screen the pocket,

use that lovely passing to relieve

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the pressure before it builds.

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And how does Leipzig break him?

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Occupy him with runners

so he can't step out.

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Get Nkunku receiving between

the lines and turning into the

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space Friedl has to vacate.

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If Leipzig make Friedl choose,

Friedl loses, because he'll be

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making those choices all afternoon.

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That's your duel.

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Friedl's composure and reading of the

game against Nkunku's spark and movement.

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Keep your eyes on it.

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I'll have the result next time.

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So what do the numbers say is coming?

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Everything points one way.

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Leipzig's expected goals output

on match day one was elite.

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Bremen's was among the

worst in the league.

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Leipzig has never lost this fixture

and they travel to the Weserstadion

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better than almost anywhere.

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Weigh it all up and I'm calling it.

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Leipzig by two.

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I'll say 2-0, maybe 3-1 if Bremen

nick a consolation off a set piece.

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But a comfortable Leipzig win on the

road backed by every number we've got.

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The only thing that

stops it is complacency.

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And after a 3-0 opening

statement, I don't think this

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group is in the mood to ease off.

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And that's the lot.

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:

Match day one dissected, your

voices heard, and match day

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two locked in our sights.

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Before I let you go, let me leave

you with a couple of things to chew

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:

on and a question for the terrace

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So let's bring it home.

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:

A few things to take away from this one.

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First, don't let a tidy

three-nil fool you.

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This was a performance of real dominance.

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Three point nine five expected goals, six

big chances, a mauling that a world-class

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goalkeeping display kept respectable.

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Domenico Lisi's Leipzig didn't just win.

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They controlled the how of it.

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:

Second, the depth is real.

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:

A returning Nkunku off the bench with

an assist and a big chance created.

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:

Gruder running a game without

troubling the score sheet.

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:

Baku scoring and winning every

ground duel he contested.

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:

This looks like a squad with layers.

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:

And third, the road ahead sets up nicely.

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:

A trip to the ground where Bremen have

never beaten us, against a side that

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got picked apart on the opening weekend.

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:

The pieces are in place for another

statement if the levels hold.

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:

Which brings to my question for

you, the Digital Terrace, and I

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wanna hear from you on this one.

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:

Cast your mind back a few weeks, a

shaky preseason, mixed form, plenty

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:

of us, me included, had worries about

where this squad was at, and the

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:

matchday one lands, and it's that.

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A dominant, controlled,

three-nil dismantling.

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So here's what I'm asking.

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After seeing that, are you comfortable

with how this squad is looking?

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:

Or would you still change something?

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:

Is there a weak area

you'd want strengthened?

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:

A position you'd bring a player in for?

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:

Or are you happy to run it

back with what we've got?

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:

Where, if anywhere, does

this group still need work?

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:

I want the honest takes and optimists

and the ones who are still holding back,

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:

because the one dominant win doesn't

erase a whole preseason of questions.

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:

Or does it?

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:

You tell me.

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:

Here's how to get your voice on the show.

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:

Drop me a message on SpeakPipe.

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You've got up to five minutes, and I love

playing your actual voices on the pod.

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:

Leave a comment on Spotify episode,

or come and join the conversation

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:

in the Digital Terrace Discord.

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:

That's where the best debates

happen, and where Ava's cracking

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:

submission came from this week.

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:

All the links are in the show notes.

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:

And before I go, the usual honest ask.

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This show has no sponsors, no

corporate backing, no club money, and

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that's exactly how I wanna keep it.

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:

No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion.

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:

If it adds something to your week,

hit follow, leave a review, share it

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:

with a fellow Leipzig fan, and if you

wanna chip in and keep it running, the

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:

support links are in the show notes.

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:

Every bit helps keep this

thing free and independent

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:

That's episode 118.

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:

Match day one was a statement.

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:

Match day two is a chance

to make it two from two.

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:

I'll be back after the Bremen game to

break it all down, including that Friedl

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:

versus Nkunku player watch result, and

to read out your takes on the squad.

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:

Until then, look after yourselves,

keep it locked to The Terrace, and

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:

remember, tactics, terrace, truth.

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:

Let's go RBL.

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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 — RB Leipzig Podcast (English)
RBL Talk — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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.

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