A special reunion awaits Marco Rose on Saturday. Before the game in Mainz, he made his entire team responsible for a challenge.
Takes his team to task: Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose.
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Twelve days ago, RB Leipzig had to play the last league game. At VfL Bochum, where there was a 0-1 defeat. After the international break, coach Marco Rose’s team now has a home game on Saturday (3:30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) against FSV Mainz 05. And with a view to this match, Rose has wishes for his team.
Before the duel with his own past – Rose played 156 competitive games (six goals) for Mainz between 2002 and 2012 – the Leipzig coach is happy that his players have all returned healthy from international trips. Mohamed Simakan, who was plagued by slight muscular problems with the France U21s, is likely to be available on Saturday, as is Dani Olmo.
The Spanish technician, who only recently recovered from a torn muscle fiber, decided not to play the second European Championship qualifier in Scotland (0:2) in consultation with the Spanish national team’s doctors and can play against Mainz. “He’ll be operational,” Rose said at Thursday’s matchday press conference. There is only a question mark over Yussuf Poulsen. The Danish attacker is suffering from slight calf problems, “we have to look from day to day,” says the RB coach.
Warning before Mainz: “Intensity is coming towards us”
Apart from that, Rose has had all international players around since Thursday to prepare them for the duel with Mainz. The focus is also on Timo Werner, who has scored 13 goals in nine appearances against the Rheinhessen, but recently – like the entire team – lacked consistency in Bochum.
From Werner, but also from his second German national player David Raum, Rose would like “a bit more conviction going forward, even more confidence, even more courage, even more effort towards the goal”. The train to the goal in particular was also a topic at RB recently, which is why Rose says that his team acted “very stable”, but also emphasized: “We could have more chances to score. Everyone is responsible for that. And we should do that on work against Mainz at the weekend.”
Because in the team of coach Bo Svensson, with whom Rose played together in Mainz and is friends, the coach sees a big chunk on RB. Mainz is “very well organised”, said Rose, and “intensity is coming towards us”. In Ludovic Ajorque, but also in Karim Onisiwo, the 05ers also had good target players that they could serve with long balls from time to time.
At the same time, Mainz has “also flat solutions” in addition to a lot of dynamism and power. The fact that the current ninth in the table is also second in the second half of the table with 17 points from eight games supports Rose’s thesis of a tough opponent. But for the Leipzig coach, the most important thing is: “We have to try to stay with us.” With all due respect for the opponent from the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, the 46-year-old is certain: “It’s all about our performance.” And it should be so good that win number 14 of the season comes out on Saturday and RB stays in the race for the Champions League qualification.
