Marcel Schafer, RB Leipzig’s managing director for sport, recently underscored the disconnect clubs face. They have made significant strides in trying to reclaim their once-lost identity and philosophy. He has a very sincere underlying physical hurt that this is the state of the club. He thinks it has lost its way on its founding mission. Schafer reiterated his focus on producing “win-win outcomes” for the players and the club. He knew that they had to make adding more of a possession-based style of play into their overall game plan their focal point.
Schafer’s reflections come in the wake of a difficult year for Leipzig, during which he conceded that “huge issues” plagued the club’s philosophy. For Hutchinson, validating the club’s founding precepts was essential to driving future success. Second, he was astute enough to know that it would require time to properly implement these strategies.
“And that, to me, is not real,” he said about a complete move toward a possession-based game. If you’re one of those upper echelon teams, you have to be able to come up with answers when you don’t have the ball. Finally, we know we can’t fully change our philosophy. We must reject the cultural norm that promotes this idea of possession, possession, possession.
With and without the ball, intensity needs to remain high, and Schafer emphasized that this high-intensity play shouldn’t turn into chaos. He reiterated, “Red Bull style means high intensity against the ball, high pressing, counter-attacking.” Leipzig’s successes of the past few seasons have mostly been built off this template. They’ve been successful in large part by attracting young, hungry players with something to prove.
Even with the recent challenges, Schafer is very encouraged by where the club and movement are heading. He further explained that the move to Leipzig shouldn’t be seen as where players go to finish their careers. Rather, it needs to be the capstone experience that equips them for far tougher tests looming in their future. “The step to Leipzig should not be the last step,” he emphasized.
At the same time, he acknowledged that it’s gotten harder and harder to sign great players. “It is not harder to find players, but harder to sign them,” Schafer stated, echoing his sentiment throughout various discussions on player recruitment. He thinks bigger clubs push too many young players too quickly instead of giving them the chance to grow. This opportunity opens the door for Leipzig to train and mold the next wave of stars.
It was those kinds of young talents Leipzig started to attract, Schafer mentioned, “really absolutely outstanding talents.” The problem he understood was that often times competing offers from other clubs made getting these players much more difficult. His belief that young players should come first in baseball and their development should be embraced above all else has not wavered. “We really focus on young players. We truly undo their development,” he added.
In an inspiring discussion with Jurgen Klopp, Schafer stood in the ring and fought these challenges with Johan. His intentions are to deepen ties among the clubs and enhance their outreach efforts for recruit and retain talent. “With Johan, it helped a lot, of course, that Jurgen had a conversation with him,” he noted.
As RB Leipzig looks to re-establish itself in the competitive landscape of European football, Schafer is keenly aware of the need for strategic adaptability. He noted that when facing teams that defend deeply, finding solutions for closed spaces is essential, stating, “Against teams who defend deep, we need to find solutions for closed spaces.”
Schafer laid out last season’s struggles and how that adversely affected their hopes and dreams. He owned up to the fact that seeing other teams’ successes in Europe turned him into a ball of rage. “On the one hand, it should for a motivation for us to do the extra mile to qualify next season,” he said. “On the other hand, if I am honest with you, it is a little bit of an issue in my stomach to sit down and just watch other teams when they play in Europe.”
RB Leipzig is struggling, because it’s now trying to reestablish its identity. Schafer emphasizes that patience and persistence are key in developing the next generation of talent. Selling players to England makes economic sense for the club’s long-term financial health. Despite these challenges, he remains committed to fostering a culture where young athletes can thrive. He expects them to help the team see real return on investing in the talent.
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