Bundesliga: Out-of-form outfits set to lock horns in Leipzig
James Thorogood
September 25, 2018
Already 12 games into their 2018-19 campaign, Leipzig are struggling to find their feet in arguably their toughest season to date. The midweek visit of Stuttgart offers the Saxony side a chance to get back on track.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
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Since the club's inception in 2009, RB Leipzig have made no bones about their desire not just to reach the European stage, but to establish themselves amongst Europe's elite in the long-term.
Now in their second season of juggling three competitions, performances of late suggest Ralf Rangnick and Co. still have a lot to learn, with ill-discipline proving costly both on and off the pitch.
Three games, two suspensions and just one win
Any optimism following the 3-2 win over Hannover was snuffed out after a humiliating defeat against Salzburg, which Rangnick claimed had seen Leipzig take "at least one-and-a-half, if not two steps backwards”.
Tom on the road - with Leipzig Fans
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Players have received public critiques far removed from the media-trained platitudes of most post-match press conferences, while Nordi Mukiele and Jean-Kevin Augustin were suspended from first-team affairs for Sunday's trip to Frankfurt after breaching the club's behavioral code.
"We've got clear rules in the group. The decision was right and consistent,” captain Willi Orban said before finding the positives in the 1-1 draw. "The game against Frankfurt was a test of our character following Thursday's non-performance. Of course, we'd have liked three points, but it's nice to have taken a step forward. With a bit of luck we'd have won. But we've got to learn, learn, and learn.”
Now 12 Bundesliga games without a clean sheet and leading the league with five goals conceded before half-time, Leipzig desperately need to break bad habits. With Rangnick struggling to find the balance between disciplinarian and motivator, facing an out-of-sorts Stuttgart side may provide the perfect tonic.
Korkut's magic has worn off in Stuttgart
The Swabian side are a shadow of the team that took the Bundesliga by storm at the start of the year. Only title winners Bayern picked up more points than Tayfun Korkut's charges in the second half of last season.
However, the magic touch seems to have worn off over the summer with Stuttgart second from bottom and without a win to their name. "We'll get our chances on Wednesday,” said Korkut. "We want to take the next step and pick up our first win of the season.”
Ron-Robert Zieler made a string of world class saves as Stuttgart held on for a 0-0 draw with Fortuna Düsseldorf last time out.Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Improvements will need to be made at both ends of the pitch if that's to happen. Stuttgart have failed to score in four of five games in all competitions this season, whilst at the back, no Bundesliga side has conceded more goalscoring chances.
"Not everything is perfect just yet,” continued Korkut. "It's about enjoying longer periods of positive play out on the pitch. We've got to present a compact and united front in Leipzig and close the channels. A lot will be thrown at us.
Remaining Bundesliga Matchday 5 fixtures
Fortuna Düsseldorf vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.)
Mainz vs. Wolfsburg (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m.)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Nuremberg
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
RB Leipzig vs. Stuttgart
Bundesliga Matchday 4 in pictures
Leverkusen relied on the same sources, Dortmund got what they might not have deserved against Hoffenheim and there were six goals in the capital. All the latest from the Bundesliga on Matchday 4.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Leverkusen 1-0 Mainz
Kai Havertz saved the day for Leverkusen once again as his second-half header gave the club their first win of the season. After a slow first half, Mainz had a goal disallowed after VAR spotted a handball by Robin Quaison in the build-up. That proved a turning point, one Mainz never really recovered from. Eventually, Leverkusen took one of their chances thanks to the duo of Brandt and Havertz.
Image: Imago/Team 2
Frankfurt 1-1 RB Leipzig
As Frankfurt improve, RB Leipzig continue to stutter. Gelson Fernandes' first goal for Frankfurt, and his first league goal in three years, put the hosts ahead but Emil Forsberg's second-half penalty leveled the scores. In a fairly even game, neither side made the most of their respective periods of dominance to steal victory.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Wolfsburg 1-3 Freiburg
A debut goal for Freiburg winger Rolland Sallai was the story of the day in Wolfsburg as Christian Streich's side won comfortably to end the Wolves' unbeaten streak. Nils Petersen ended his scoring drought by tucking in a penalty on the rebound. Mike Frantz made it three and although former Freiburg player Admir Mehmedi scored for the home side, it was too little, too late.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Schalke 0-2 Bayern Munich
As it is for most if not all Bundesliga sides, facing Bayern Munich is just a challenge too great. Conceding from a James header in the opening 10 minutes didn't help, but Schalke battled their way back into the game - only to needlessly give away a penalty to allow Bayern to seal the contest. Schalke remain pointless, Bayern return to the top of the table.
Image: Reuters/L. Kuegeler
Hertha Berlin 4-2 Gladbach
If Gladbach's day in the capital could be summed up by one photo then this is it (Yann Sommer is pictured above). Hertha ran riot after going 1-0 down to score two in four minutes. A brace from Vedad Ibisevic made sure of the victory and despite a header from Alessandra Plea, Ondrej Duda added a fourth to go top of the Bundesliga scoring charts.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stache
Hoffenheim 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
In a dramatic game with two disallowed goals and a red card, Christian Pulisic saved Dortmund for the second time in a week with a late equalizer to deny Hoffenheim three points their performance deserved. Joelinton (pictured above) had given the home side the lead, but couldn't seal the victory. After Pulisic drew BVB level, Ishak Belfodil missed a huge chance to win it for Nagelsmann's side.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Augsburg 2-3 Werder Bremen
For the second weekend in a row, Augsburg goalkeeper Fabian Giefer cost his side points. After Bremen raced into a 2-0 lead, with Maximilian Eggestein scoring another screamer, Augsburg clawed their way back. Then Giefer let the ball slip through his legs to leave Davy Klaassen a simple tap-in. Augsburg hit the post as they attempted to get the point they deserved, but Werder march on.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/C. Kaspar-Bartke
Nuremberg 2-0 Hannover
After an early and controversial red card for Hannover defender Miiko Albornoz, Nuremberg looked favorites to go on and win the game. It wasn't until the 76th minute though that the home side found a way through. Waldemar Anton's own goal gave them the lead, and a minute later a swift counterattack was finished off by Törles Knöll to seal Nuremberg's first win of the season.
Image: Getty Images/S. Widmann
Stuttgart 0-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
The hosts remain winless and without a home goal after a tale of missed chances at both ends on Friday night. Mario Gomez (center) missed a pair of presentable opportunities for Suttgart in a low quality first half. The tempo rose after the break but neither side showed the required composure. While Stuttgart improved, they were indebted to a string of saves from Ron-Robert Zieler.
