Hurt Leipzig Aim to Bounce Back Against a Team in Deeper Trouble
· Yahoo Sports
Two weeks ago, Martin Demichelis had every reason to feel that his RB Leipzig project was moving in the right direction.
Two wins had given the new coach the kind of beginning he would have wanted. There was momentum, belief, and, perhaps most importantly, time.
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Then came Bremen. Then came Como.
Leipzig's 3-1 defeat to Werder Bremen was followed by a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como on Thursday, and suddenly the questions around Demichelis are arriving much earlier than he would have expected.
The result in Italy was not merely a defeat. It exposed a vulnerability in the way Leipzig were trying to play. Their high defensive line left too much ground behind it, and Como repeatedly found ways into that space. Leipzig were aggressive without being sufficiently secure, and once they fell behind, the structure began to unravel.
David Raum's assessment afterward was unusually direct.
We really took a beating tonight. The first half wasn't good at all, while the second half was a tad better. Overall, however, it was a poor performance from us. We need to learn from this and make some changes as soon as possible.- RB Leipzig's Captain David Raum
That is now Demichelis' task: make those changes quickly.
There is little time to recover psychologically from Como because Hamburger SV arrive on Sunday. On paper, it is an opponent Die Roten Bullen should be capable of handling. They have won the last four meetings between the sides, and HSV could hardly be in a more fragile position.
But that is precisely what makes this game interesting.
HSV have lost both of their opening Bundesliga matches. They have scored no goals and conceded seven. Their return to the top flight was supposed to be a moment of renewal, yet after only two games, they are already at the bottom of the table.
There had been some optimism around the club after their late transfer activity, including the permanent signing of Fábio Vieira from Arsenal following his loan spell. But the mood changed quickly.
Mainz arrived at the Volksparkstadion and left with a 5-0 victory.
There are many things we want and need to work through in order to do better next week.- For Merlin Polzin, there is no hiding from what that performance revealed.
The problem for HSV is that Leipzig are unlikely to offer the same kind of opportunity without demanding something in return. The home side may be short of confidence, but they possess considerably more attacking quality and will see Sunday's game as a chance to repair some of the damage from the last two matches.
That leaves both teams under pressure, but for very different reasons.
The Red Bulls are trying to prevent a promising beginning from becoming an early crisis. On the other hand, Die Rothosen are trying to prevent their Bundesliga return from becoming a long struggle from the outset.
Also, the clubs could hardly be in more different places historically. The visitors were once among Germany's biggest clubs. Now, back in the Bundesliga, they sit at the bottom without a point or a goal. Leipzig, meanwhile, arrives bruised but remains one of the Bundesliga's modern powers.
For Demichelis, the game is about response. For Polzin, it is about keeping an idea alive before the table begins to harden around his team.
For HSV, this could be another step toward their long-awaited revival, a chance for the phoenix to rise again.
For Leipzig, it is about regaining control before their season begins to seriously drift.
So who gets what they need: will Hamburg finally awaken, or will Leipzig send the sleeping giant back into the abyss?