Jesse Marsch has lost its American ease. The coach of the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig looked desperate on Thursday at the online press conference before the game of Saxony on Friday evening (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and DAZN) at 1. FC Union Berlin. And not just because of his ongoing quarantine after the corona illness. Rather, the coach is concerned with the constant ups and downs in the performance of his team, which has taken a step backwards compared to previous years despite the broadest squad. Which is why Marsch itself has now come under massive public criticism.
Marsch does not (yet) feel pressured by his employer. “We had a good connection and strong trust from the start. We talk openly and honestly with each other, ”said Marsch when asked whether he can still feel the backing of the top of the club. But the fact is that RB is currently far from its own goals and claims. Internationally, it's all about hibernating at least in the Europa League. The much more important qualification for the next Champions League season is in jeopardy with the current eighth place. And that's because of the inconsistent performance for which the trainer is responsible.
“I've always tried to do the best.
You have to ask the question whether it doesn't fit exactly.
But I'll always do my best for the group, for the club.
Not for me, ”said Marsch and it already sounded like a first swan song.
He made mistakes, everyone made mistakes.
March in search of a solution
And now comes the Union game, in which Marsch will again not be there and will probably be represented by Marco Kurth, the second co-trainer alongside Achim Beierlorzer.
“We have to deliver our best game of the season.
We have great respect for Union and their coach.
We have to be mentally ready for this game.
It's no longer about having 30 points by Christmas.
With this lack of consistency, we can only think of every single game, ”said Marsch.
He lived in reality and asked himself every day what the team could learn, what was important for the next day, for the next game. “We tried a bit of flexibility with our style of play and adopted more topics from the past two years. But my style is also aggressiveness, intensity with the ball and against the ball. The whole combination sometimes fits perfectly and sometimes it doesn't. I don't understand or accept that, ”said Marsch. Nevertheless, he wants to continue trying to find the right solution.
Against Union, Mohamed Simakan from the players who were last missing due to the corona infection should return to the squad, who is already doing team training again.
It remains to be seen whether captain Peter Gulacsi will be in goal, as he initially only trained individually.
The injured Dani Olmo, Marcel Halstenberg and Yussuf Poulsen are missing, as are Willi Orban and Hugo Novoa, who are still in quarantine.