Practice Papers, Then the Exam

Justin Crozer: 00:00:01

A week ago, some of you wanted the season canceled.

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Two defeats on the bounce,

Bremen away, then Como in Europe.

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The knives were out.

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The group chats were on fire,

and half the fan base had already

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drafted the coach's obituary.

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: 00:00:20

And then Sunday afternoon happened.

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Five-nil, Antonio Nusa tuning in the

best individual performance we've

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seen in a Leipzig shirt in months.

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Christopher Nkunku off the

bench and onto the score sheet.

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A red balloon or more floating

over the Red Bull Arena.

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Demichelis called it

an important response.

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I'd call it a statement.

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But before we get carried

away, this was Hamburg.

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Bottom of the table, nil points,

a keeper having a nightmare.

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So the real question isn't

what does five-nil mean?

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It's what does it mean when

a proper side turns up?

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And that side is next.

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Leverkusen, away, at a ground that's

been a house of horrors for us lately.

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This is RBL Talk

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Welcome back to RBL Talk, the independent

community-powered RB Leipzig podcast.

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Tactics, terrace, truth.

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I'm your host, Justin Crozer,

and this is episode 121.

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No sponsors pulling the strings, no

club media minder over my shoulder,

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just one bloke, a microphone, a stack

of sofa score data, and you lot on

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the digital terrace keeping me honest.

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No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion

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Here's the run of the play for today.

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First up, we go deep on Sunday's

5-0 dismantling of Hamburg.

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How we did it, what the numbers actually

say underneath that scoreline, and the

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Player Watch result picked last time out.

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Then it's over to you for the fan

voice from the Digital Terrace.

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And we've got a cracking batch because

the midweek quickfire didn't carry a

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mailbag, so these have been stacking up.

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Then we look ahead to Sunday.

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Leverkusen away, a proper test with

a Player Watch duel I'm generally

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excited about, and a data-driven

score prediction to close it out.

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Big episode.

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Let's get into it

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Right.

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RB Leipzig five, Hamburger SV nil.

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Match day three, the Red Bull

Arena, just shy of 48,000 in.

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On paper, a demolition.

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Under the bonnet, a bit more

interesting than that, and I want

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to give you the honest version,

not just the highlight reel.

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Let's start with the shape of the thing.

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We had 64% of the ball.

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We played 622 passes to their 350.

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We got into their final third 67 times.

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They managed 42.

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We had 29 touches in

their box to their 17.

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In plain English, we owned the place.

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This was territorial control

from the first whistle to last.

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But here's the wrinkle.

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The scoreline outran the performance,

and I mean that as a compliment.

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We created 2.4

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expected goals across the match.

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We scored five.

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Now, some of that is variance,

but most of it is two things.

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One, the shots we got on target

were absolutely daisy cutters.

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Our expected goals on

target number was 3.6,

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which is a fancy way of saying the

efforts we made the keeper deal

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with were generally ruthlessly good.

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And two, the Hamburg keeper had

an afternoon he'll want to forget

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Let me tell you the story of

the goals, because the shape of

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this game is the whole point.

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We led early, 17 minutes in.

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Tidiam Gomis, 19 years old, leading

our line, gets the opener, and it's

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teed up by Ezekiel Banzuzi in midfield.

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11 minutes later, 28 on the

clock, Nusa makes it two.

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So we're cruising, two-nil at the break.

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Job looking done.

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And then nothing.

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For a long stretch of that second

half, it was actually Hamburg

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who had the better half of it.

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This is the bit that gets lost when

you only see five-nil in the app.

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Around the hour mark,

they came out swinging.

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Their best chance of the entire match fell

to Terem Moffi on a fast break, and Martin

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Vandevoordt got down and shut the door

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Hold that save in your mind, because

it's the hinge the whole match swings on.

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Because what happens next is brutal.

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Seventy-two minutes, Willy Orban,

the ever-reliable, runs toward

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the back post from a set piece and

taps it in with the right boot.

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Couldn't miss.

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Three-nil.

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Seventy-four, Nkunku teed up by Nusa.

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Four-nil.

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Seventy-seven, Rômulo, on for

about three minutes, makes it five.

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Three goals in five minutes.

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Hamburg had their moment,

Vandevoordt said no, and then

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the whole thing caved in on them.

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That's the match.

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A tight-ish game that turned into

a landslide the instant it broke

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Now the keepers, because this

is a tale of two goalkeepers,

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and it's almost a morality play.

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Vandevoordt, an 8.4

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rating, a clean sheet, four saves.

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His goals prevented number, that saves

versus what an average keeper would

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have stopped, came in at plus 0.7,

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meaning he saved us the

better part of a goal.

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And crucially, he made the one save

that mattered, that muffy chance.

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10 ball recoveries too,

sweeping behind our high line.

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Sensational.

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At the other end, Fernandez, and

I'll be fair to him here, a 5.75

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goals conceded and a goals

prevented figure of minus 1.4.

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That means he shipped about a goal and a

half more than the average keeper stops.

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But, and this matters,

the shots were quality.

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Rômulo's goal alone was

nearly a certain finish.

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So it's a blend.

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Generally clinical Leipzig

striking and a keeper who

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couldn't drag his mates out of it.

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One keeper prevented two-thirds of a

goal and made the save of the game.

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The other conceded a goal and

a half beyond expectation.

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Same afternoon, opposite ledgers

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And the man of the match by a

country mile, Antonio Nusa, 9.2.

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Read that again, 9.2.

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A goal, two assists.

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He set up both Orban and Nkunku, which

means that entire five-minute blitz that

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broke the game ran straight through him.

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Two big chances created, three key

passes, three from three on his dribbles,

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and the bit that people forget with

wingers, six of seven ground duels won.

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Four recoveries.

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He created, he finished.

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He carried the ball 250

metres, and he scrapped for it.

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If you want the through line of this

whole entire match, it's not the team

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that clicked, it's Nusa decided it

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around him, the supporting cast.

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Gomis, that 19-year-old, with the opener

and a genuine centre forward shift.

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Banzuzi, running the engine room.

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The assist, plus three tackles from three.

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Six recoveries, 13 ground duels contested.

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Orban, our best defender and a scorer.

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And Nkunku, on early, and I'll come

to why he was on early in a second.

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But 4-0 off the bench, a lovely

little arc for a man still

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finding his feet back at the club.

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And here's a theme I want you to sit with.

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The youth.

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Gomis, Nusa, Brajan Gruda up

front, Banzuzi in midfield.

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This was a strikingly young Leipzig

attack, taking apart an experienced side.

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Whatever else this season

is, it's a young one.

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Keep that in your back pocket for

the fan voice segment, because

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someone's got a lot to say about it.

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Now the sour note, and it's a real one.

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Assan Ouédraogo, thirty-five minutes

in, an innocuous-looking challenge

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with Gronbake, and Assan goes

down clutching his right shoulder.

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Straight off.

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Couldn't continue.

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Nkunku in his place, which is why

Christo played as long as he did.

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And I've done the homework on this, so

I'm not just guessing off the telly.

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Demichelis after the match,

it doesn't look good.

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It's the same injury.

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The same injury.

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That's the right shoulder capsule

problem he picked up at the summer

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training camp, the one that cost

him the start of the season.

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Sunday was his first Bundesliga

start of the campaign.

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He'd only just come back the Thursday

before against Como off the bench.

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Reports had it as a dislocation

that got reset on the pitch.

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The club haven't put a firm number on

the return yet, but the language is

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weeks, and he's ruled out of Sunday

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For a 20-year-old who's already

lost more than 60 games in injury

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in two seasons, that's just cruel.

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Get well sooner, son.

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We need you

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That injury also settles our player watch,

and I owe you a straight answer on it.

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Last episode, I had the duel as

Ouédraogo versus Fabio Vieira.

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Trouble is, the game scrambled it.

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Assan off injured at thirty-five.

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Vieira not on for Hamburg

until the seventies.

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They barely shared the same pitch.

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So I judge them on the

briefs they actually got

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In his 35 minutes, Ouédraogo was the

brightest creative spark on the park.

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Two key passes, 30-odd meters of the

ball progression, generally looking

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the part before his body let him down.

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Vieira came on nil-four into a dead rubber

and did tidy, honest, unremarkable things.

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No key passes, no chances created.

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So the verdict played straight.

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Ouédraogo shades it, and it's not close.

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He was making it count up, right

up until the injury, which honestly

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only makes losing him sting more.

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Quick word on Hamburg because

fairness cuts both ways.

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They weren't a shambles.

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Albert Groenbeek was their

best player by distance.

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Creative, combative, involved

in everything good they did.

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Jordan Turangua put in an

enormous defensive shift.

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Ten clearances, seven aerials, but

his carry numbers went backwards,

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which tells you everything.

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A man heading and hoofing it clear all day

because his side couldn't get that out.

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And there was a lovely subplot.

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Yusuf Poulsen back at Leipzig, but not

for the first time in opposition colors.

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The club he's still the all-time

appearance record holder for.

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Reports had it his two hundred

and fiftieth Bundesliga game

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Rough way to mark it.

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Looked at halftime in a 5-nil, but a warm

moment for an old Red Bull all the same

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So that's the recap.

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Control that turned clinical, a

Hamburg pulse that Vandevoordt

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snuffed out, and then we punished.

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Nusa at 9.2,

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a worryingly young, worryingly

good performance, and Assan's

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shoulder taking the shine off

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Let's leave the pitch

and head to the terrace

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This is my favorite part

of the show, always.

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Your takes in your words.

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I'll clean up the odd typo for the read,

but I'd never change what you meant.

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Now, a word on timing

because it shapes this one.

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The midweek quick-fire

didn't carry a mailbag.

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It's a short show, so most of

these landed after the Como game.

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Then the mood was dark.

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Only one landed after Hamburg, so we're

going to walk through the gloom first

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And then let Sunday answer it.

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Come with me

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First up, KS Murph in the Digital

Terrorist Discord writing after Como

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KS Murph says, The last two results

stung, but the reactions have been

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amplified by the anger over Werner

being replaced by Demichéliz.

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Como dominated the ball, sure, but

you can win without it, and we have.

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The expected goals, 1.4

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to their 2.3,

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says the loss was deserved, but we could

have been closer with sharper finishing.

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This is

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a team at the very start of a rebuild,

because that's exactly what it is.

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He didn't back the coaching change, but

he reckons we owe it to the coach, the

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players and the club to get behind them.

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Sacking a new man after four

games, 2-1, 2-lost, makes no sense.

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Context.

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Como away was one of our hardest

draws in the competition.

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Nil points is disappointing, not a shock.

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He reminds us we went to

Gladbach twice in: 2025

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away with a draw and a defeat.

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It'll take 10 to 12 league

games for a system to bed in.

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Get Nkunku and Rômulo fit, get

Baumgartner and Asan back, let Rietz

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and El Anoui settle and give it time.

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And he signs off, Immeo

Leipzig, Immer Leipzig.

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Mate, that is the most level-headed

thing in the inbox, and I'm

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with you on the process.

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A rebuild is a rebuild.

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You don't judge the foundations

before the walls are up, and

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that Gladbach point is a beauty.

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We treat dropped points away from home

like it's a scandal, and it just isn't.

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But here's the thing you couldn't

have known when you typed it.

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You sent this after Como,

and then Sunday happened.

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Everything you asked for.

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Patience.

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Get the returners going.

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Well, Nkunku's off the mark.

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Rômulo scored within three

minutes of coming on.

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Sometimes the terrace calls it early

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while I'm at it regarding the

replacement, let me put my own cards

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on the table here, because I've

been banging on about this all week.

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Tactically, I'm on board.

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I like what Miko's building.

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I like the ceiling the

board are clearly chasing.

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Flood the middle, win it back

the second we lose it, let

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the shape flex around that.

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The foundation's there

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What I can't get behind is

how the club handled Werner.

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That was shocking.

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Nobody, nobody deserves

to be let go like that.

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The man had them purring, and he deserved

a hell of a lot better than he got.

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Those two things can both be true

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But wanting Werner or Najdman back three

games in before Miko's even had a window

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to build, before these are his players

for his system, that's uncalled for.

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Most of this squad isn't built

for this yet, and adaption

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is weeks of work, not games.

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So no witch hunts on my watch.

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Judge it in ten to 12, not four.

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The foundation's there.

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Next, Laz Jazzman, also in

the Discord, also after Como.

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And this is the tactician of the group.

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Laz Jazzman says, "The

problem is the high press.

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Seiwald, as the lone holding

midfielder, was often pressing wide

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in the opposition half, and the two

ahead of him, El Nui and Nkunku, don't

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yet have the defensive understanding

to cover the gap he leaves behind."

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Second point, and he admits it's harsh,

he can't see Guiu coming good at Leipzig

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the way Sorloth or Andre Silva did.

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The minute Gomis came on, we could

at least hold the ball in their half.

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And he sees two outcomes.

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Either Demichelis is sacked within

three weeks, or Demichelis adjusts

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so that Seiwald always sits as the

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Fallback

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This is the sharpest tactical

read we've had in, and the

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diagnosis is bang on the money.

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A lone holding midfielder pressing

high is the classic pressure

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point of a front foot system.

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And hold that thought, because it

ties straight into what KS Murph says

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next about us being open by design.

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But here's the fun part

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Laz Jazz, watch what

actually changed on Sunday.

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Seiwald started on the bench.

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Guiu started on the bench.

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Gomis led the line.

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The midfield got reshaped.

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So out of your two outcomes, it's

looking a lot more like number two.

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Miko adjusting than the sack.

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Your prediction is being tested in real

time, and it's landing on the calmer side

293

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I'll push back gently on Ji, though.

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That's an awfully early book

to close on a young signing.

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Sorloth took a while to

click here too, remember?

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One to watch, not to write completely off

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Next, Grant Voges over on X after Como,

and Grant, bless him, keeps it brief.

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Grant didn't get to watch.

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He was at work.

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3:00 PM Eastern start, shift worker's

curse, and from what he could follow,

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he wasn't fussed about the replay.

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His verdict, and I quote,

"What a bloody shambles.

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You could smell the stink

all the way back in Wales."

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Grant, mate, as a shift worker

myself, I feel that one in my bones.

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And honestly, for Como, you

didn't miss much worth the replay.

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But that's the beauty of a rebuild season.

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You skip the stinker, and the

very next one's a five-nil party.

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So consider this your official notice.

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The Hamburg game is

the one to catch up on.

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: 00:19:02

Redemption arc, and you were owed it

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: 00:19:06

And now the one that landed after

Hamburg, KS Murph again in the Discord,

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and this is the take of the mailbag.

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KS Murph says, "Very

strong showing and result.

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You can only beat what's in front of

you, and it's been a few years since

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: 00:19:24

we consistently put weaker sides away."

316

: 00:19:27

He reckons we're watching the difference

between Werner and Demichelis crystallize.

317

: 00:19:32

Werner played smart,

pragmatic, tight football.

318

: 00:19:36

Few conceded, few created, and last

season's flaw was that the narrow wins

319

: 00:19:42

leaned on a moment of magic from Diamande

or Baumgartner rather than team play.

320

: 00:19:48

Mikko Ball, he says, looks

lower floor but higher ceiling.

321

: 00:19:54

Very open at the back, giving up

big chances several times a game,

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: 00:19:59

but far more creative in open play.

323

: 00:20:02

He doesn't yet know if we'll be better

or worse long term, but the ride will be

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: 00:20:07

a rollercoaster of high-scoring games.

325

: 00:20:10

And his proof?

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: 00:20:11

Five games this season,

three-one at a combined 14-nil,

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: 00:20:15

two lost at a combined 2-7.

328

: 00:20:18

And a last thought, what a joy to

see Christo bag his first goal back.

329

: 00:20:23

Never thought he'd be so

glad to see a red balloon.

330

: 00:20:28

This is the take of the week,

and I want to sit in on it.

331

: 00:20:32

Because the framework is spot on.

332

: 00:20:34

Lower floor, higher ceiling.

333

: 00:20:36

That's the whole season in five words.

334

: 00:20:39

And Sunday proved it both ways at once.

335

: 00:20:44

We put up five goals off two and a

half expected, and we still handed a

336

: 00:20:49

bottom of the table side a big chance

and made Vandevoordt earn his 8.4.

337

: 00:20:54

That's not a contradiction.

338

: 00:20:55

That is the identity.

339

: 00:20:59

The Werner point's sharp too.

340

: 00:21:01

Last year, we won ugly

on individual brilliance.

341

: 00:21:04

This looks like we'll

win and lose as a team.

342

: 00:21:08

Quick honesty note on the numbers,

because I love you all on the

343

: 00:21:12

Digital Terrace, and I don't want you

trying to be discredited and getting

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: 00:21:16

well actually'd in the replies.

345

: 00:21:18

The winning aggregate 14-nil is bang on.

346

: 00:21:21

The two defeats are actually 2-7, not 1-7.

347

: 00:21:26

We did nick a goal at

Como as well as Bremen.

348

: 00:21:29

Doesn't touch your point one bit.

349

: 00:21:32

It's just the best line anyone's

sent in all season so far, and

350

: 00:21:36

frankly, it belongs on a graphic

351

: 00:21:40

and the red balloon Christo back on

the score sheet in a Leipzig shirt?

352

: 00:21:43

Yeah, never gets old

353

: 00:21:47

that's your fan voice.

354

: 00:21:48

Keep 'em coming.

355

: 00:21:49

The details on how are

at the end of the show

356

: 00:21:53

Quick breather, then

we look ahead to Sunday

357

: 00:21:59

Quick one before we crack on.

358

: 00:22:01

RBL Talk is independent and it

stays that way because of you.

359

: 00:22:05

No corporate sponsors, no agendas,

no gatekeepers, just the show, the

360

: 00:22:09

terrace, and pure Leipzig passion.

361

: 00:22:11

If you get something out of this pod

and you wanna help cover the cost of

362

: 00:22:15

keeping it running and keeping it free,

there's a support link in the show notes.

363

: 00:22:19

Every bit helps and every bit keeps

this thing exactly what it is, ours.

364

: 00:22:24

And if you want the matchday

experience with us, the Digital

365

: 00:22:26

Terrace Feed is where it's at.

366

: 00:22:28

Live play-by-play, tactical reactions,

sofa score breakdowns as they happen

367

: 00:22:33

across all our streaming channels.

368

: 00:22:35

Come watch the game with the terrace.

369

: 00:22:37

It's a hell of a lot more

fun than watching it alone.

370

: 00:22:40

Right, on we go

371

: 00:22:45

Sunday the 20th, half three

in the afternoon Leipzig time.

372

: 00:22:48

That's 11:00 PM here in Adelaide.

373

: 00:22:51

So set your alarms or set the coffee.

374

: 00:22:53

The BayArena, Bayer Leverkusen.

375

: 00:22:56

And folks, this is the first

real test of the season.

376

: 00:23:02

Let me set the scene, because

this isn't quite the Leverkusen

377

: 00:23:06

you might have filed away

378

: 00:23:10

They finished sixth last season, which

means they're in the Europa League

379

: 00:23:14

this year, not the Champions League.

380

: 00:23:17

There's a brand new coach in

Carlos Martinez, a Spaniard brought

381

: 00:23:20

in to play intense front-foot

youth-driven football, and the

382

: 00:23:25

side is still bedding in his system

383

: 00:23:30

And here's a detail in our favor.

384

: 00:23:33

They've got a European tie in midweek.

385

: 00:23:35

On the Wednesday, three days

before they host us, tired legs

386

: 00:23:39

and a rotation are live factors

387

: 00:23:44

Now the numbers, and I'll be straight

with you about it, what they're worth.

388

: 00:23:50

Across three league games apiece,

the comparison actually flatters us.

389

: 00:23:56

We're rated higher, seven point

eight to their seven point four.

390

: 00:24:01

We've scored more and, more

tellingly, conceded fewer.

391

: 00:24:05

Three against their five.

392

: 00:24:07

Two clean sheets to their one.

393

: 00:24:09

We've been more clinical.

394

: 00:24:11

We miss fewer of our big

chances and more disciplined.

395

: 00:24:14

Fewer fouls, fewer cards.

396

: 00:24:18

But, big but, and it's the

KS Murph point made flesh.

397

: 00:24:23

Those lovely Leipzig numbers

were banked against Gladbach

398

: 00:24:27

and against bottom side Hamburg.

399

: 00:24:30

This is the first proper opponent

we've faced since Bremen and Como,

400

: 00:24:34

and we know what happened there.

401

: 00:24:37

We shipped seven goals in two games.

402

: 00:24:39

So take the shiny attacking

stats with a grain of salt.

403

: 00:24:43

This is the exam, not the practice paper.

404

: 00:24:47

Here's the tactical shape I expect.

405

: 00:24:50

Both these sides want the ball.

406

: 00:24:51

They average nearly 65%.

407

: 00:24:54

We're just over 60.

408

: 00:24:56

Somebody is going to have to play

without it, and the good news is we've

409

: 00:25:01

shown this season we can win that way.

410

: 00:25:03

Leverkusen create plenty, but they're

wasteful, and they leak at the back.

411

: 00:25:08

Nearly two goals a game conceded

412

: 00:25:12

So the profile of this

match almost writes itself.

413

: 00:25:16

Open chance heavy, not many dull

spells, exactly the high-scoring

414

: 00:25:20

roller coaster KS Mirth forecast.

415

: 00:25:23

Now, the cold shower, the head-to-head

416

: 00:25:28

Overall, it's six wins to one draw

to three in Leverkusen's favor.

417

: 00:25:33

And recently, it's worse than that.

418

: 00:25:35

They've beaten us in the last

few meetings, 4-1 and 3-1.

419

: 00:25:40

We haven't beaten Leverkusen

since September: 2024

420

: 00:25:44

And at the BayArena specifically,

it's been a house of pain.

421

: 00:25:51

So that's the tension

of this whole preview.

422

: 00:25:54

We arrive in red-hot form and

statistically the better side,

423

: 00:25:58

walking into a ground and a fixture

that has usually tormented us.

424

: 00:26:03

From versus history, that's the match

425

: 00:26:07

And that brings us to the player

watch duel, and this one's a beauty.

426

: 00:26:11

Miguel Gutiérrez against

our own Antonio Nusa.

427

: 00:26:16

Here's why it works.

428

: 00:26:18

Gutiérrez plays on the left, Nusa plays

on the right, so they meet head-on.

429

: 00:26:24

Our right flank is their left.

430

: 00:26:26

Every time Nusa attacks,

Gutiérrez is their man in his way.

431

: 00:26:30

And every time Gutiérrez bombs

forward, It's Nusa's side, he's rating.

432

: 00:26:34

Proper duel

433

: 00:26:37

Let me tell you about Gutiérrez

because the profile is a warning.

434

: 00:26:41

Twenty-five, Spanish, 26 million euro

signing this summer from Napoli, and he

435

: 00:26:46

was brought in as the direct like-for-like

replacement for Alex Grimaldo

436

: 00:26:52

And you all know exactly what Grimaldo

did to teams from that left channel.

437

: 00:26:57

Real Madrid Academy, a breakout at Girona,

a Serie A runners-up season in Italy, an

438

: 00:27:03

Olympic gold medal in his back pocket.

439

: 00:27:05

He's a technically gifted, relentlessly

attack-minded fullback who's just as happy

440

: 00:27:09

playing as an out-and-out left midfielder.

441

: 00:27:13

His season heat map is a giveaway.

442

: 00:27:15

He lives high and wide on that

left touchline in both halves.

443

: 00:27:19

He's their overlap, their crosser,

their late runner into the box.

444

: 00:27:23

He is a weapon.

445

: 00:27:26

And our man Nusa, well, you

just heard the recap, 9.2,

446

: 00:27:31

a goal and two assists, three

from three on his dribbles, and a

447

: 00:27:35

willingness to actually fight for it.

448

: 00:27:38

So how do we stop Gutiérrez

from running the game?

449

: 00:27:43

And here's the clever bit.

450

: 00:27:44

The answer isn't to man-mark him.

451

: 00:27:47

The answer is to make him defend.

452

: 00:27:50

Gutiérrez is a monster going

forward and a genuine liability

453

: 00:27:54

facing a live winger one-on-one.

454

: 00:27:56

If Nusa keeps him pinned back in

his own third, worried about his

455

: 00:28:01

own goal, then Leverkusen lose their

entire left-sided thrust, and we've

456

: 00:28:05

done it without parking anyone.

457

: 00:28:08

Back that up with right back cover,

Hendricks or Baku doubling when

458

: 00:28:12

the Spaniard does get up the pitch,

and then the hunt, the space he

459

: 00:28:16

leaves behind, because when he's

caught that high, that is where Nusa

460

: 00:28:22

and Gomis can go running behind.

461

: 00:28:27

In short, don't try to nullify an

attacking fullback, out-attack him.

462

: 00:28:31

The best tackle on the bloke

like Gutiérrez is a winger he

463

: 00:28:35

can't afford to leave alone

464

: 00:28:38

And so the prediction.

465

: 00:28:40

You know my rule.

466

: 00:28:41

I don't like to pluck numbers

and score lines out of thin air.

467

: 00:28:45

I work it off the data,

and I show you the working

468

: 00:28:51

The metrics lean us, better form, more

clinical, tighter at the back, the

469

: 00:28:56

venue and the head-to-head lean them.

470

: 00:28:59

It's hard.

471

: 00:29:00

The midweek European game nudges it

back in us due to the away on legs.

472

: 00:29:07

We're without Ouédraogo's creativity, but

Nusa, Nkunku and Rômulo are all firing

473

: 00:29:14

Netting all of that out, I'm calling it

a two-two, the honest midpoint of red hot

474

: 00:29:19

form and a rotten record at this ground.

475

: 00:29:22

If our low floor shows up the way it

did at Bremen and Como, if a good side

476

: 00:29:27

finds us open, it tips Leverkusen's way.

477

: 00:29:31

If our clinical edge holds, we

can nick it, but two-two is where

478

: 00:29:34

the data and the history meet

479

: 00:29:38

That's the call.

480

: 00:29:39

Screenshot it and hold me to it

481

: 00:29:45

Right, let's bring it home.

482

: 00:29:47

Three things to take away from this one

483

: 00:29:51

First, this was the response.

484

: 00:29:53

Two defeats, mounting pressure,

and the lads answered with

485

: 00:29:57

a five-nil that eased it.

486

: 00:29:59

Not proof of anything permanent,

but a statement of intent.

487

: 00:30:04

Second, KS Murph nailed the identity.

488

: 00:30:07

Low floor, high ceiling.

489

: 00:30:09

Buckle up, because this is going

to be a season of big, wild

490

: 00:30:14

scorelines in both directions.

491

: 00:30:17

And third, none of it

means a thing until Sunday.

492

: 00:30:21

Leverkusen away is the test.

493

: 00:30:24

Beat the practice papers all you like.

494

: 00:30:26

This is the real exam

495

: 00:30:30

So here's my question for the

Digital Terrace this week,

496

: 00:30:33

and I wanna hear from you

497

: 00:30:37

Can this young, open, front-footed

Leipzig win at the BayArena, or

498

: 00:30:42

will we continue to create a hoodoo?

499

: 00:30:46

Give me your scoreline, give

me your reasoning, and tell me

500

: 00:30:48

whether you're buying the low

floor, high ceiling theory or not.

501

: 00:30:54

You can send it three ways.

502

: 00:30:55

Drop a voice note on SpeakPipe,

that's speakpipe.com/rbltalk,

503

: 00:31:01

up to five minutes, and I'll

play the best ones live on air.

504

: 00:31:06

Leave a comment on the episode over

on Spotify, or come out and post

505

: 00:31:11

it in the Digital Terrace Discord,

where the best football chat in the

506

: 00:31:14

English-speaking Leipzig fanbase lives.

507

: 00:31:17

All the links are in the show notes.

508

: 00:31:21

And look, if this show means something

to you, hit subscribe, leave us a review.

509

: 00:31:25

It generally helps people find us.

510

: 00:31:27

And if you can, throw a couple of

dollars toward keeping the lights on.

511

: 00:31:32

The support is the only reason this show

can stay free from corporate sponsors.

512

: 00:31:36

No agendas, no gatekeepers,

just pure Leipzig passion.

513

: 00:31:40

That's you.

514

: 00:31:40

That's the terrace.

515

: 00:31:42

That's the whole point

516

: 00:31:45

That's episode 121.

517

: 00:31:47

Thank you as always for

lending me your ears.

518

: 00:31:50

Let's go RBL.

519

: 00:31:53

Tactics.

520

: 00:31:53

Terrace.

521

: 00:31:54

Truth.

522

: 00:31:56

I've been Justin Crozer, and

until next time, bye-bye for now