Stuttgart –
At RB Leipzig, they only look ahead – and after the completely screwed up first half of the season, the Champions League suddenly beckons again.
“We said to ourselves that we would press the reset button on January 1st and not think too much about the past,” said the outstanding RB goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi after the 2-0 (1-0) win at VfB Stuttgart and clarified: “We have high ambitions.” The deficit of the Saxons in fourth place has halved in two games this year from six to three points.
outstanding
In addition to Gulacsi, the two goal scorers André Silva and Christopher Nkunku became the celebrated players in Swabia. Defense chief Willi Orban immediately warned not to let up: “We have a big mortgage to work off.” Especially since the victory was rather unadorned given the numerous chances in Stuttgart and fewer in Leipzig.
Exactly “the way we won was also important,” said RB coach Domenico Tedesco. Leipzig also ended their long away misery with the seventh success in the eighth competitive game against their favorite Swabian opponent. The first away win in the league since the 4-1 win in Bremen nine months ago means “a lot,” stressed Tedesco.
It was again initiated by the in-form striker Silva. The 23 million euro purchase from Eintracht Frankfurt is flourishing after some initial time at RB. In the five games under coach Tedesco, the 26-year-old has already scored five goals. The Portuguese also confidently converted his eleventh Bundesliga penalty against the Swabians, who have been without a win for four games and are threatened with relegation, on Saturday (11th minute). Previously, VfB professional Konstantinos Mavropanos jumped the ball on his arm – with a cross from Nkunku.
It was also the Frenchman who made the decision with an exemplary counterattack in the 70th minute. After a full sprint down the right side, he let opponent Hiroki Ito run into space and shoved ice-coldly into the bottom right corner. With nine goals and just as many assists, the 24-year-old is already in the league. It seems he has made good use of the summer break and still wants to be recommended for a place in France’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
Szoboszlai failure hits RB hard
Since they hardly ever appeared offensively and sometimes surprisingly passively, Leipzig also needed a cream day from their goalkeeper in Stuttgart. “He was outstanding today,” Tedesco said of Gulacsi. The 31-year-old “co-decided” the game. Especially in the second half, in which he made several strong saves.
The failure of offensive man Dominik Szoboszlai, who signed off after warming up with muscular problems, “hurts us extremely,” emphasized Tedesco. In return, he was able to look forward to the short comeback of Spaniard Dani Olmo in the final phase of the game, who had been absent for weeks due to injuries and a corona infection. Nordi Mukiele has also tested negative again, the coach reported. The DFB Cup round of 16 against second division side Hansa Rostock on Wednesday is likely to come too soon for the full-back. But Tedesco can certainly count on his goalkeeper and his dream duo on the offensive again.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220116-99-728839/3 (dpa)
–
