Julian Nagelsmann refrained from declaring war on Bayern Munich. With RB Leipzig the coach is still the first hunter of the record champions after the first half of the Bundesliga, but nobody wants to put unnecessary pressure on the Saxons. “We don’t have an obligation to become German champions,” said Nagelsmann after the 1-0 (0-0) win over 1. FC Union Berlin.
Leipzig is four points behind the leader from Munich. Four points that RB unnecessarily gave away in Nagelsmann’s eyes. Victories were possible against Cologne (0-0) and Wolfsburg (2-2), the 33-year-old calculated: “We are basically satisfied with the first half of the season.”
Especially in view of the complicated preparation for the season, Leipzig’s performance stands out. Like FC Bayern, RB played the final tournament of the Champions League in Lisbon in August. There followed a short break and another triple load in the first half of the season.
Nagelsmann wants to build on the good appearance. “We’re trying our best to be successful and to get the most out of the second half of the season,” he said.
The minimum goal is to qualify for the Champions League again. In the end, it is also up to Bayern Munich whether it is enough. “There is still a team above us,” said Nagelsmann, who had no sympathy for the recent crisis debate about Bayern.
Munich would have had a phase in which they would not have shown the usual dominance. But: »You still scored at least four points more than all the other teams. So the crisis can’t be that bad. “
Victory against the favorite scare
Nagelsmann’s appearance against Union gave Nagelsmann the courage to hunt down the industry leader. The league’s favorite scare, which had previously wrested points from FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, also held up well against RB.
But the Leipzig people’s patience paid off. Substitute playmaker Emil Forsberg (70th) broke the spell. For his team, success is “a small maturation process,” said Nagelsmann, who praised the calm of his players.
Union also earned recognition. The Berlin team scored 28 points in 17 games, and the underdog developed into a surprise team. Sixth place and the prospect of a place in the European Cup are proof of good work. The conclusion is “of course positive,” said coach Urs Fischer. Nevertheless, he held on to his mantra. “We’re not through yet. The objective remains the same, that means: staying up, “said the Swiss:” For that you need a few points. We have to work on that. “
There are some things “that we can do better,” emphasized Fischer. »When I look at the statistics and see a pass rate of 91 percent in Leipzig and only 79 percent in our case. You have to be able to get out of pressure situations and remain precise. We can improve that. ”Marvin Friedrich saw it that way too. “It’s getting better and better,” said the defender. The defeat in Leipzig should be made up for quickly. “We’ve got a really big cushion down. We can be confident, but you can also get into a bad phase quickly. Of course we don’t hope so, ”said midfielder Robert Andrich. SID
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