full

Episode 61 - DFB pokal or bust

In this episode Justin informs the listeners of the latest news including that Timo Werner could be on the move to Major League Soccer as he has failed to impress on loan at Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig are looking to restructure their squad over the coming transfer windows and some club ‘legends’ may be under threat as the contracts of Yussuf Poulsen, Kevin Kampl and Peter Gulacsi expire in 2026. We preview the 2-2 draw against FC Heidenheim as RB Leipzig drop points, yet again and all that entailed in it including the 2 penalties, Christoph Baumgartner being subbed off early, Lois Openda finally back on the goal scoring sheet after 40 days with the forward last scoring on match-day 14 against Eintracht Frankfurt, plus more. We preview our upcoming DFB Pokal quarter-final against VfL Wolfsburg which is a livestream event so join in the coverage, interact with the stream and watch the game with us live. Plus next game player watch, predictions, and rounding out the show the the RBL talk segment.

In the RBL talk segment there are listener questions from rob3r0 on the RB fans discord, raiyanv98, rl9lewyfan and pia_hffmr on Instagram and secondchoice on X.


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Transcript
Justin:

Hello everyone and welcome to RBL Talk.

2

:

On today's show, we have some club news.

3

:

We recap the 2 2 draw against

FC Heidenheim on matchday

4

:

23 of the Bundesliga.

5

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I'll preview the DFB Pokal

quarterfinal against VfL Wolfsburg.

6

:

We will have player watch predictions

and later on in the RBL Talk segment,

7

:

your listener input on the show.

8

:

In the news for this episode, reports

suggest Timo Werner could join MLS club.

9

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Team Iwata could join.

10

:

The New York Red Bulls and could be on

the move to Major League Soccer according

11

:

to the latest reports from BUILD.

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The RB Leipzig forward is currently

on loan at English Premier

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League side Tottenham Hotspur.

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It is believed that the London based

club who wanted to make the move for

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the 28 year old in the winter due

to his underwhelming performances

16

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but nothing materialized in the end.

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MLS outfit, New York Red Bulls,

supposedly tried to sign the German

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marksman in January, but to no avail.

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Werner is believed to have changed

his mind since the interest likely

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to heat up again in the summer.

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Dairot and Bullen are unlikely to

play with Werner in the future, so

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a satisfactory transfer fee for his

services would please all parties.

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Werner signed for Reported 10

illion euro from Stuttgart in:

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He bagged 78 goals in 127 appearances

for RBL until Chelsea activated a 57

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million euro release clause in 2022.

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Despite returning to Germany

with RB Leipzig for a season, his

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career has stalled ever since.

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Current strikers Lois Openda and

Benjamin Sesko pose further competition.

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Also in club news, RB Leipzig

looking to restructure their squad

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heading into the next few windows.

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Bill reports that RB Leipzig are

looking to restructure their squad

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over the coming transfer windows and

some club legends may be under threat.

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The contracts of Yussuf Poulsen, Kevin

, and Peter Gulacsi expire in:

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Leipzig are willing to allow the

trio to head into the next season

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with their contracts expiring.

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If either wishes to leave in the

summer, Leipzig will not stand in

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their way, but selling the trio

would not garner a lot of money.

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Leipzig are also well stocked when it

comes to replacing the trio with Gulacsi's

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replacement Martin van der Voort, already

receiving more game time this season.

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When it comes to midfield, that

is an area Leipzig are well

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stocked in that department.

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While the only issue is up front, as the

quality significantly drops off when Lois

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Zepeda and Benjamin Sesko do not play.

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The futures of midfielders Xaver Schlager

and Amadou Haidara are also up in the air.

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The former is a key player

for Leipzig when he is fit.

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But he has been plagued with injuries

this season, following an ACL injury at

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the end of last season, while Haidara

has struggled to perform this season.

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Both midfielders contracts expire in

:

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will take place at the end of the season.

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Schlager is currently in

line for an extension.

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That's all for club news in this

episode, time to recap the 2

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2 draw against FC Heidenheim.

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Bye.

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Regular listeners of the

show know how this works.

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I go into bullet points of the good, the

bad, and the ugly, what we did right, what

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we did wrong, what we did really wrong.

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Then I have a detailed summary and

a recap of the full game, including

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overview of the player watch players.

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We also have to see what the

RB Leipzig players have to say

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at the presser after the game.

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Starting with the good, RBL were

effective at creating goal scoring

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opportunities from long shot situations.

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We were effective at creating goal scoring

opportunities from the flank specifically.

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We 74%, plenty of shots at goal with 17.

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10 shots inside the box, 36

touches in the penalty area, and

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Baumgartner was subbed off early.

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It was good to see Marco not

afraid of shaking things up.

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Where has this Marco Rose been?

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Now for the bad, we gave away a

lot of free kicks around the box.

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Too many fouls, we gave

away 15 free kicks in total.

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We'll pull from our 7 corners.

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Undisciplined being booked

three times, all yellow cards,

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only six of 17 shots made it on

target, and we're offside twice.

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And now for the ugly, Peter Gulacsi

didn't make a single save in this game.

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We were losing 2 0 to relegation

candidate side in just 13 minutes of

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play, and at home, it's mind boggling.

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How is this considered

acceptable from Red Bull?

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And only 170 of 554

passes in the final third.

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That's just 30.

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68 percent of balls in an attacking

area against a bottom side.

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That's far too low.

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Three things we learned vi Heidenheim.

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Number one, Marco Rose

has some sort of guts.

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He took off Christoph Baumgartner in the

first half, something he hasn't done,

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or has rarely done, before this fixture.

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Number two, we need

officials help to beat sides.

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Heidenheim are a relegation candidate and

it took a very soft penalty which I felt

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was very lucky to get as there wasn't

much in it to get a point in this game.

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And finally, number three,

Marco Rose on borrowed time.

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He is there to solidify top four

as a bare minimum requirement.

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If he loses the DFB Pokal quarterfinal,

could we see a quick fire sacking?

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With a tough month of football in March

against Mainz, Freiburg and Borussia

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Dortmund, we could be very much more

worse than we are currently sitting

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in the table, which is sixth position.

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Before we get into the full

summary and recap, I'd like to

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go over the player watch plays.

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And for this game, Lois

Openda was for RBL.

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who was predicted to start and

score in the last episode, and for

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Heidenheim was Matthias Honsak.

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We will start with our own

player first with Lois Openda.

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Lois played the full 90 minutes,

had 42 touches, completed 15 of

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22 passes, had an accuracy of 68%,

attempted two dribbles, which he

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did not complete, made five shots.

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Three were blocked.

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The two that weren't were on target.

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He attempted a cross and a

long pass that didn't come off.

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He lost possession 15 times,

had 10 duels, two aerial duels.

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He got beaten in and won

four of eight ground duels.

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Lois committed one foul, but was fouled

four times and made one clearance.

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According to the OneFootball

app, Lois Openda was rated 8.

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9, but I would give a rating of 7.

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8.

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And PlayWatch player for Heidenheim,

Mathias Honsak, also played the full

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90 minutes, had 38 touches, 2 total

shots, 1 off target, the other was

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that stunning goal on the 6th minute.

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Honsak made 9 of 16 passes

and an accuracy of 56%.

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He attempted 5 crosses and 3 long

passes, None of the crosses came

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off, just one long pass, lost

all four of his ground duels, and

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won all of his two aerial duels.

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Lost possession 17 times, committed

two fouls, made two clearances,

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one from which was on the line,

which stopped a certain RBL goal.

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Blocked a shot, and

was dribbled past once.

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According to the OneFootball

app, Matthias Honsak was rated 6.

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5, but I would give a rating of 7.

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3.

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Top 4 Chasing RBL came back from two

goals down to earn a 2 2 draw against

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relegation battlers Heidenheim, with

Dyrotten Bullen picking up a third draw

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in four Bundesliga games with one win.

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Following their midweek UEFA Conference

League defeat in extra time, Heidenheim

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would have been forgiven for a slow start.

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And yet the visitors to the Red Bull

Arena did exactly the opposite, netting

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twice inside the opening quarter hour.

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The first arrived in the 7th minute in

spectacular fashion, as after RBL failed

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to clear their lines, Matthijs Honsak made

them play by lashing a loose ball into

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the top corner from the edge of the box.

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Coming into the game, Heidenheim were

sat second bottom of the Bundesliga, but

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they showed incredible desire and fight,

doubling their lead in the 13th minute.

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After Willi Orban tripped

Marvin and Perring in the box.

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The striker picked himself up

and slotted the spot kick away.

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Marco Rose's Men struggled to

gain a foothold in the contest.

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They went into the halftime break

with the belief that a comeback might

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materialize after halving the deficit

in the first half of stoppage time.

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Kevin Kampl's cross into the box was

controlled by Benjamin Sesko, allowing

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Lois Openda to lash home at the near post.

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The home side came out for the

second half with renewed energy

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and looked to draw level early on.

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That intent was clear to see

with Openda almost netting

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his second of the afternoon.

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After breaking through on goal,

only for Kevin Muller to race off

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his line and smother the ball.

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The Heidenheim goalkeeper was being

kept busy, as he was also called

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into action moments later, being

forced to dive down low to get a

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hand to Ridle Baku's curling effort.

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Dyrotten Bullen maintained that

pressure and were awarded a penalty

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on the hour mark when Openda was

brought down by Tim Seiselben.

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Following a lengthy VAR review,

Sesko stepped up and tucked

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in from the spot with a plump.

158

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Rose would have expected that goal to

further the wind in the Leipzig sales,

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but the hosts failed to capitalise

with Heidenheim on the ropes.

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In the end, the comeback produced

only a draw, resulting in RBL missing

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out on breaking into the top four.

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Heidenheim however, pick up their

first Bundesliga point in six games.

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Now let's dissect those goals.

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The first goal of the game was by

a direct result of the foul from

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Christoph Baumgartner, who got himself

a yellow card by fouling Jan Schöppner.

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Baumgartner went for the ball and

missed it and stood on the right

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foot of Schöppner, top down with the

studs going onto the top of the foot.

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Not a nice feeling at all.

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The resulting free kick was taken by

Jonas Föhrenbach who passed towards

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the far corner of the penalty area.

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is the ball towards goal with

Baumgartner intercepting it.

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With a headed clearance only as far

as Schöppner, who couldn't control

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the ball, the deflection went forward

and fell for Matthias Honsak, who on

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the volley sent a rocket towards goal

and Peter Gulacsi was left rid to the

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spot and watched the ball go flying

past to his left into the top corner.

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Now, how could we have

prevented this goal?

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The obvious is not giving away the

free kick, but besides that, we need

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to clear our lines a bit better.

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A mix of a poor clearance from

Bam Gardner to a dangerous area,

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instead of heading the ball

centrally, headed towards his left.

181

:

where David Raum and

Ridle Baku were there.

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You could have a possibility

of a counter attack with Pace.

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After that, let's say he

cleared the ball where it went.

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Either Kampl needs to go for the

ball instead of being caught in

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two mines as the deflection off

his opponent sets up the goal.

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And finally, Benjamin Sesko needs to just

boot the ball away out for a throw in

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as he's already facing the right byline.

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The second goal for Heidenheim came in the

13th minute, after a short delay from a

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VAR check for the penalty, which was given

in the 11th minute by official officials.

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Martin Peterson.

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In the build up play before that foul,

Xavi Simons was dispossessed in the

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middle of the park, in the center

circle, with a poor first time touch,

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as he tried to dribble towards goal.

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The tackle from Sirlord Conteh sent the

ball towards his keeper in Kevin Muller,

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who recovered the ball then passed

to Jonas Föhrenbach, out wide on the

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left, who released Marvin Pieringer.

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Out wide, still on the left, and was

1v1'd with RBL captain Willi Orban.

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As he cut inside the box, Orban fouls him

by pushing him front on into his chest,

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with Orban's hand sliding down the shirt.

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Then Pieringer slips

and falls to the ground.

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After the VAR check, Orban receives

the yellow card, and Pieringer.

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Steps up, to the spot.

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Gulacsi guesses the wrong way, going

to his right, with Paringa drilling the

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ball hard and low to the keeper's left.

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Scores were now 2 0.

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Now how could we have prevented this one?

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Plain and simple, Willi Orban

with his years of experience

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needs to do better there.

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Yes, he was suspended in the

last game, but it's not like

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he has been out for months.

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Poor from one of the leaders on the pitch.

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The first goal for RBL and

third of the game came in the

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second minute of the game.

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I've added time in the first half with

the build up play starting from a throw

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in on the right side From Ridle Baku to

Nicholas Seiwald after some interplay

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with Orban He received the ball back

and passed to Kevin Kampl who passed

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long to the feet of Benjamin Sesko Who

shielded the ball nicely and just put

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a little dink in the direction of his

strike partner Lois Openda Who finally

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broke the goal drought with a clinical

volley On his non preferred foot.

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Hitting it first time with his left.

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Into the bottom right corner with pace.

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That was Lois Openda's

first goal in 40 days.

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The equaliser and final goal came in the

64th minute, with a penalty, won by Lois

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Openda, as he collided with Tim Siersleben

in the box, which was very soft.

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Both players were looking for the

ball, Openda turned into Siersleben,

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and then once they collide, he

holds his face and goes down.

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Tim never touches his face,

and personally, this was soft.

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The penalty shouldn't have been given.

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Lois Openda should have received a yellow

card for diving or acting, whichever

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you want to call it, and the official

after checking the VAR monitor keeps

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his on field decision, saying that the

Heidenheim defender has the side of

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his hand or arm hit Openda in the face,

which was negligible at best for me.

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Nothing else.

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Really in that, just play on.

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Anyway, Benjamin Sesko stepped

up to the spot, drills the ball

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hard and low, to the right.

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High Nine keeper Kevin Muller guesses

the right way, but can't get down

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in time, and the scores are now 2

After the game, in the presser, some

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players and the manager Marco Rose

spoke to reporters after the game.

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First we'll go with Marco Rose,

then our captain Willi Orban.

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Marco Rose had this to say.

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The start certainly didn't help us.

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A second ball following a set piece,

and then the penalty situation.

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Where we didn't have good

movement in the defensive line.

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We didn't put them under enough

pressure in possession, in

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general, in the opening stages.

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After another counter attack,

we were looking in trouble.

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I had to step in and make

changes to the attacking setup

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we had gone with into the game.

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We were better after those changes,

and got a goal back before the break,

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which of course gave us belief.

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We applied pressure well, from the

off, in the second half, created

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chances and got our equaliser.

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We've ultimately come away with what's a

disappointing draw from our perspective,

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even though Heidenheim played well.

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Even in this difficult period.

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I still believe in the team, and we're

going to try and find solutions for

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us to beat Wolfsburg and progress

to the semi finals of the cup.

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And Captain Willi Orban had this to say.

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It simply isn't enough.

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We didn't have a good first half at all.

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The positive is that we

managed to dust ourselves down

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and come back from 2 0 down.

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We were better in the second

half, put them under more

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pressure, and worked some chances.

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We deserve to get our equalizer,

but we weren't accurate enough in

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the final half an hour and didn't

even carry enough of a threat.

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I expect more from us, particularly

in the last 20 minutes or so.

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We won't lose our heads, but we know that

a point today isn't good enough for us.

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The best players for RBL were Nicholas

Seiwald, Kevin Kampl, who had the

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most tackles in the match with three,

Castello Lukeba, Benjamin Sesko, who

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completed the most dribbles in the

match with four, and Lois Openda.

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The best players for Heidenheim

were Kevin Muller, Patrick Mainka,

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Mathias Honsak, and Marvin Perringer.

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For our suspensions and injury

list, coming up into our next game,

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Christoph Baumgartner suffered

a knock and is doubtful for the

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quarterfinal against Wolfsburg.

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He may play depending

on his training midweek.

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Next is Antonio Nusa, with a knee injury,

his estimated return date is late March.

280

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Assan Ouedraogo, hamstring injury,

estimated return date mid April.

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Xaver Schlager, knee injury,

stimated return date late May:

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And Benny Henrichs, Achilles tendon

injury, ERD, which is estimated

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return date end of season.

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And now to preview the VFL Wolfsburg game.

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Wolfsburg will be without seven players.

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Bartosz Bialek, Grabara, Paredes,

Majer, Arnold, Klinger and Rogério.

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They are currently sitting in 8th

position after 23 matches in the

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Bundesliga, with 34 points, having

notched up 9 wins and 7 draws, and

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losses, with a plus 9 gold differential.

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Wolfsburg beat TSG in the round of

16, after beating Borussia Dortmund

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in round 2 of the competition.

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So they've had to work hard

to get into the quarterfinals.

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Whereas RBL, who are sitting in

6th position, dropping more points

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in the Bundesliga with 38 points,

with 10 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses,

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we've had an easier run, beating St.

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Pauli in round 2 making short work of

Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of

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16, leading into this quarterfinal.

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Past performances against one another

don't really mean anything in cup finals,

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but in the DFB Pokal, RBL have a slight

advantage, winning 4 of 6 games at 66.

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66%, while Wolfsburg have

won the remainder at 33.

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Some interesting match facts leading

into this game are, the last time RBL

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lost to VFL Wolfsburg in a DFB Pokal,

at home, Wolfsburg was the round

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of 16 stage back in March of 2015.

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RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg have

not drawn any of their last

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eight matches against each other.

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Wolfsburg haven't lost in the last

five matches against VfL Bochum,

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VfB Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen,

Eintracht Frankfurt and Holstein Kiel.

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Wolfsburg's last loss was against

Liga leaders Bayern Munich in

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January, in which they lost 3 2.

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And Wolfsburg haven't conceded a

goal in the DFB Pokal this season.

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For player watch, for both sides will be.

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For RBL, Willi Orban.

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The captain for Dairotten Bullen

has been one of the best players

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this season when on the pitch.

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Willi knows what it takes to

achieve greatness with RBL.

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As he's been pivotal in our success

r since coming to the club in:

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he will be leading from the front and

doing everything right to make sure

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we advance into the semi finals of

the DFB For Wolfsburg, Konstantinos,

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Koulierakis, the Greek international,

has been a rock at the back, showing

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he can be a monster in ground duels,

outmuscling and tackling his opponents.

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One of the best players in their DFB

Pokal Cup run for the season, the 21

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year old will be pivotal in stopping the

likes of Xavi, Openda and Sesko, stamping

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their authority on the game and giving

his team the best chance at winning.

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What I'd like to see in this

matchup with my line up.

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We need to go all out.

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It's DFB Pokal or bust now this season.

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We must win, and at the very

least, get into the semi finals.

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No messing around with formations.

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No trying out new things.

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Just simple, high pressing, working

hard, and counter attacking football.

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Back to the RB roots.

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A 4 4 2 formation.

333

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as a 2 narrow with Gulacsi in goal.

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Back four of Raum on the left, Lukaiba

and Orban in the heart of defense.

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Ridle Baku on the right,

playing against his former club.

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In the double six role, Kevin

Kampl and Amadou Haidara.

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:

Kampl playing more box to

box, like a number eight, but

338

:

switching with Dudu when required.

339

:

Attacking midfield pair of Xavi on

the left and Christoph Baumgartner on

340

:

the right, who could be doubtful as he

suffered a knock against Heidenheim.

341

:

If unavailable, I would swap with young

Tidiam Gomis, giving him his debut as we

342

:

are thinly stretched in this position.

343

:

With three attacking midfielders

already injured and leading the line, a

344

:

strike partnership of Lois Openda, who

recently found form, and Benjamin Sesko.

345

:

For predictions in this match, I

predict a real battle in midfield, with

346

:

Wolfsburg wanting to control the play,

as they average 54 percent possession

347

:

in the DFB Parkour this season.

348

:

They will commit fouls and give

us free kicks in dangerous areas.

349

:

And we need to utilize this,

something which has been poor

350

:

for us for some time now.

351

:

Xavi Simons will do something special

on a cup night and see us through.

352

:

How far we'll go depends on the lad's

mindset, but I'm going to go with

353

:

a 3 2 win, but after extra time.

354

:

And now it's time for

the RBL talk segment.

355

:

Remember, you can be a part of the

show too, with the RBL talk segment.

356

:

You can even come on the

show as a special guest.

357

:

The way you do this is by interacting

with us on Spotify, social media, such

358

:

as X, or email in at show at rbltalk.

359

:

com.

360

:

More information, in detail, on

how to get involved with the show

361

:

for free, and the show notes.

362

:

We have a few submissions today.

363

:

We'll start with our

Instagram submissions.

364

:

First is from PIA underscore

365

:

HFFMR.

366

:

Totally overslept the first half.

367

:

With the substitution of

Arthur, it got a little better.

368

:

Now full focus on Wednesday.

369

:

I'm not sure if that means that you

overslept and didn't watch the first half.

370

:

But I'm going to take that you saw

the first half of this game, and it

371

:

looked like that we were just sleeping,

as we really weren't switched on.

372

:

And if that's the case, then I can

definitely agree with you with that.

373

:

It definitely got better once

the substitution of Arthur

374

:

Vermeeren was on the pitch.

375

:

It did get a little better, but

ultimately, we still dropped points.

376

:

Now with a full focus on Wednesday, as

you said, I think it's DFB Pokal or bust.

377

:

We really got to make sure that we advance

into the semifinals of the competition.

378

:

RL9LuiFan, also on

Instagram, had this to say.

379

:

An important point, once again,

but it's not enough anymore.

380

:

We must win matches.

381

:

Even at the Red Bull

Arena, we couldn't win.

382

:

But actually, we could have won this one,

but we wasted a lot in the first half.

383

:

It felt like we weren't even playing

football until Vermeeren was subbed on.

384

:

He changed a lot, and we started

playing a lot better, especially

385

:

in the second half of the match.

386

:

And like I said, we couldn't have won,

but we missed a lot of easy chances.

387

:

Especially in the last

few minutes of the match.

388

:

Our best players tonight,

ranked in my opinion are, number

389

:

one, best player, Lois Openda.

390

:

And that's rare to see since

the start of this year.

391

:

Number two.

392

:

Benjamin Sesko, he scored from a

penalty and got a brilliant assist

393

:

to Lois Openda, and he also tried his

best in winning duels and dribbling.

394

:

Our worst player, I think, was Christoph

Baumgartner, and him getting subbed off

395

:

in the 34th minute explains everything.

396

:

I think Marco Rose should leave the club,

although I have a lot of respect for him,

397

:

but his time at the club seems to be over.

398

:

In the end,

399

:

on the DFB Pokal now.

400

:

It's good to hear someone come

through with their best players

401

:

in an RBL talk submission.

402

:

I do think that our strike duo were two

of the best players on the pitch on the

403

:

game, which is why I put them in the best

players part when reviewing the game.

404

:

I do think the worst player was Christoph

Baumgartner, and it is quite unfortunate

405

:

that he got subbed off as this.

406

:

Yes, he played 34 minutes

and he got himself subbed off

407

:

and was poor up until then.

408

:

It's still very early on in the game,

especially not playing until half time.

409

:

And you have the second half as well.

410

:

I think the biggest reason for him

being substituted was the yellow

411

:

card booking that he received early

on, which also led to one of our

412

:

goals being scored against us.

413

:

So rightfully so that

Marco Rose subbed him off.

414

:

And as you said, Marco

Rose should leave the club.

415

:

I have also a lot of respect for him

as well, but I At one point, does

416

:

it be a PR stunt on Owner's Red Bull

having a local manage the club when

417

:

it needs to be about the football and

getting the club to where we need to go?

418

:

Now, Marco Rose, quite possibly,

could still deliver us top

419

:

four come the end of season.

420

:

However, when does it start to

be that that's the bare minimum

421

:

and that's a requirement to

keep your job at RB Leipzig?

422

:

Thank you.

423

:

Pretty much any other person in

world football at any other club

424

:

in world football would most likely

have been sacked or would be in

425

:

serious jeopardy of losing their job.

426

:

I like Marco Rose myself, but I want to

see the club take that next step forward.

427

:

And with the squad that we have,

we are really underperforming.

428

:

Top four is just the bare minimum.

429

:

Forget the Champions League

season as that was just terrible.

430

:

But then we need to look at the DFB Pokal.

431

:

If we get top four and even win the DFB

Pokal, I think it'll be pretty sad to say,

432

:

but Marco Rose should still be let go.

433

:

I also think in this game Arthur

Vermeeren, when he was subbed on,

434

:

was actually in a little bit of a

surprise, and he did quite well.

435

:

Kudos to the young lad for

stepping in and doing the job

436

:

that he needed to do on the day.

437

:

R A I Y A N V 98 on

Instagram had this to say.

438

:

Honestly, just another extremely slow

start, but after the 10th minute and

439

:

the formation change back to the 3 4

2 1, after the 30th, wasn't all bad.

440

:

It's just the lack of focus at

the start that's gotten them

441

:

against Wolfsburg, Bayern,

Heidenheim, even Bochum second half.

442

:

The play and ideas are not all bad.

443

:

It's tough to break a low block at 2 0,

so coming back to level isn't all bad.

444

:

This is a mentality concentration

problem rather than a tactical issue.

445

:

Let's stick with the coach and

see what happens in the Pokal.

446

:

Some interesting things there

from another person's perspective,

447

:

which is great to see.

448

:

It is very hard to come back to a

nil when you do have a team, like

449

:

Heidenheim, that is parking the bus,

so to speak, in the defensive third.

450

:

And I do agree with you that at a point

it is a mentally and a concentration

451

:

problem rather than a tactical issue.

452

:

And I do think that sticking

with Marco Rose is the best

453

:

thing until end of season.

454

:

However, we have to look at it from a

tactical perspective that Marco Rose

455

:

really needs to work on his tactics.

456

:

He needs to improve.

457

:

It's not just Marco Rose either.

458

:

There's players on the pitch like

Xavis Simons and a few others where.

459

:

They're not the greatest players,

but they're really good players and

460

:

they need to work on a few things.

461

:

Marco Rose is also in that boat.

462

:

He's not the greatest manager in

the world, but he's also a good

463

:

manager, you know, but at what point

do you want to see the club succeed?

464

:

Do you want the club to.

465

:

End up being top four every season,

possibly going to top two, possibly

466

:

winning the Bundesliga title for the

very first time, always getting in

467

:

champions league, always going deep

into the DFB Pokal every single season.

468

:

These are the things that I want to

see the club happen going up, going

469

:

forward, taking that next step.

470

:

And.

471

:

It just seems mediocrity is acceptable

with owners Red Bull at the moment

472

:

with coach Marco Rose and I think it's

got to do with him being a local the

473

:

image and the players with him as well

474

:

but that's not get carried away here.

475

:

Marco Rose still has time to turn things

around but he's lost a lot of the faith

476

:

in not only Some of the players But a

lot of the fans, local fans included, not

477

:

just myself, an international fan, Marco

Rose would really need to have a good

478

:

back end of the season, starting from the

DFB Pokal quarterfinal against Wolfsburg.

479

:

But there's something completely wrong,

and it can't just always be up to the

480

:

players, onto the pitch, from a mentally

in concentration perspective, It also

481

:

has to go with the manager because this

has happened throughout the whole entire

482

:

season and if you can't get your players

to fix whatever these issues are then

483

:

you're just not cut out for the job.

484

:

I hate to say it.

485

:

on the RBFans Discord, which you

can join for free in the show

486

:

notes, says, It was a disaster.

487

:

No vision.

488

:

No idea.

489

:

Nothing.

490

:

Just kick the ball forward and Sesco

or Openda maybe, they'll do something.

491

:

Yep, um, that's pretty quick at that.

492

:

Uh, very short, very to the point.

493

:

But, it absolutely speaks true.

494

:

It was a disaster.

495

:

There was no vision, no

idea, nothing as you said.

496

:

Just kick the ball forward and sesko or

appender, maybe they would do something.

497

:

It really didn't seem like that.

498

:

We had a game style.

499

:

I've been saying for months and months

and months that we basically have no

500

:

Red Bull philosophy of football anymore.

501

:

We've lost our identity

when it comes to football.

502

:

Our game style and how we play.

503

:

We have a little bit of pieces here and

there from our old counter attacking ways.

504

:

But at the moment, it's just give it

to David Raum or Xavi and that's it.

505

:

And as you said, Sesko and Ependa to

finish it off and that's basically it.

506

:

There needs to be a more better

detailed as you put vision or it.

507

:

game plan into place, and I just

don't know what's happening with

508

:

coach and manager Marco Rose.

509

:

So I want him so much to succeed,

but it doesn't have really a plan B.

510

:

He did show a lot of guts though,

bringing on Arthur Vermeeren

511

:

for Christoph Baumgartner.

512

:

So that's really, really good.

513

:

Not many managers in world football,

and I haven't noticed Marco Rose

514

:

in his whole entire tenure at RBL.

515

:

actually make a

substitution that early on.

516

:

Personally, for me, if I was going

to make that substitution, I wouldn't

517

:

have waited for the 34th minute.

518

:

I would have done it 15 minutes in.

519

:

Essentially, straight after that

second goal, I would have gone,

520

:

Right, something's not right here.

521

:

Look at the drawing board, speak with

my assistant manager, have a look at

522

:

our tactics, have a look at the board.

523

:

Yes, then he did the formation

change to the back three, which,

524

:

I personally don't really like.

525

:

It worked off and paid off really

well because it managed to help us get

526

:

an overload in the midfield and also

get those extra goals that we needed.

527

:

But I would have made those

changes a little bit earlier.

528

:

It's good to see that manager

Marco Rose has gone and done that.

529

:

I still think he needs to have backup

plans when things don't go his way.

530

:

And that's the big thing that

I think is lacking and stopping

531

:

this team from going forward.

532

:

We need a few extra players and it seems

that with the club news that we're going

533

:

to be looking at restructuring the squad.

534

:

Now, I hope if we do that restructuring,

it's not under manager Marco Rose as

535

:

he's not the manager to take us forward.

536

:

I know I've said this

plenty of times before.

537

:

But let's focus at the

moment on the season at hand.

538

:

What is the best way for

the club to go forward?

539

:

Winning the DFB Pokal and also top four?

540

:

That is the ideal situation and outcome.

541

:

However, I think going all the way

down to sixth where we are at the

542

:

moment and only playing conference

league is probably better for the club.

543

:

Now that's not going to be better for the

club As per se, for the players that we

544

:

can attract, obviously the best players

in the world, they want to turn around

545

:

and play Champions League football.

546

:

No one wants to play in the

European Conference League.

547

:

However, for the club to win their

first ever trophy in Europe, I think

548

:

playing in the Conference League

is the best way to go about it.

549

:

And then go for the Champions League,

because when you look at the teams

550

:

that play in the Champions League from

all All the top leagues in Europe.

551

:

We are nowhere near that at the moment.

552

:

It doesn't matter what

manager that we have.

553

:

It's the players that we have,

and we really need to have better

554

:

players and better structure in

our game style for us to be going

555

:

deep into the champions league.

556

:

So I think it wouldn't be bad if we

were just playing conference league.

557

:

But the question remains,

would you still use Marco Rose?

558

:

As the manager, I'd like to know

your thoughts and everyone's thoughts

559

:

who's listening to this podcast.

560

:

What do you think?

561

:

Should Marco Rose be given another

season if we failed to make champions

562

:

league, but played European conference

league, and do you think that he could

563

:

win a lesser European competition?

564

:

And finally on X, second choice,

with the username C:

565

:

says how is Vermeeren doing?

566

:

Well, Arthur Vermeeren, he's had his

moments, he's been poor in some games,

567

:

and he's been good in other games.

568

:

It's taken a little bit of time for

him to find his footing in the side.

569

:

And if you go by the weekend performance,

he's actually doing a lot better

570

:

and I think he's found his footing.

571

:

He's a young player that has great

potential and he has the ability

572

:

to be a mainstay in the team for

easily five years, if not more.

573

:

I do think that he's got a place in the

squad and he's learning quite regularly.

574

:

I think that he just needs to work on

his game when it comes to his passing

575

:

distribution, but his tackling and

retaining the ball has been quite good.

576

:

As always, I'd like to thank the

contributors for their contributions

577

:

to this episode in RBL Talk.

578

:

All RBL Talk members, and thank

you for listening to this podcast.

579

:

If you could take a moment to rate

us while you listen to this podcast,

580

:

write a quick review, or tell a friend

about the show, it really helps us

581

:

find new listeners and grow the show.

582

:

So until next time,

I've been Justin Croser.

583

:

Bye bye for now.

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About the Podcast

Show artwork for RBL Talk: An RB Leipzig Podcast
RBL Talk: An RB Leipzig Podcast
The original RB Leipzig podcast in English

Listen for free

About your host

Profile picture for Justin Croser

Justin Croser

Dedicated supporter since '09 from Adelaide, South Australia Justin has followed his football team from afar and has never looked back. Justin has an undying love for RB Leipzig, tactics and football as a whole. RBL talk is aimed to give everyone a voice around the globe and Justin's welcoming nature and professional delivery comes out across the podcast episodes released.

Timeline
'09 - '12: Justin first started out watching games of fans live streams during the games until RB Leipzig got promoted into the 3. Liga

'13 - '16: Justin watched his favourite club climb through the ranks including being promoted to the 2. Bundesliga in their very first season in 3. Liga in the 2013/2014 season.

'16 - '20: Justin watched the rise of RB Leipzig as the club came onto the domestic and world stage including the remarkable 67pts runner up season to Bayern Munich in our very first season in the Bundesliga the top flight division in German football. A fantastic but also dreaded feeling the emotions of football.

'20 - '24: Justin witnessed and felt first hand the highs and lows of football winning our first DFB Pokal trophies in '22 and '23 respectively but also getting beaten in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and beaten in the 4-1 demolition job of the DFB Pokal final in 2021 which sparked creating the podcast.

'25 to Present: History to be written ✍️

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