RB Leipzig Set To Replace Domenico Tedesco With Marco Rose, But Problems Remain

Domenico Tedesco has been relieved of his coaching duties at RB Leipzig. The move is consequential but not entirely on the 36-year-old but instead the result of a long chain of decisions made throughout the summer. Next will likely be Marco Rose; the former Dortmund, Gladbach, and Salzburg coach is already in Leipzig to formalize a deal.

“The decision to part ways with Domenico Tedesco was a very difficult one for us,” Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said in a club statement. “We had a very successful second half of last season under his tenure and we qualified for the Champions League. Under his leadership, we also won the DFB-Pokal, our first major title, and he was part of the most successful season in our young club’s history.”

Ultimately, what got Tedesco fired were the two recent defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt (0-4) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-4). The club conceding eight goals in just two games and displaying defensive weaknesses reminiscent of Tedesco’s second year with Schalke were not acceptable by the club bosses.

Rose will become the third head coach in just two years. Tedesco only took over last season from Jesse Marsch. The US American struggled to make the jump from Salzburg to a team in the top four of a top five European league and has since found his luck with Leeds United.

Under Marsch, Leipzig had a poor start to the season and averaged just 1.25 points per game in the 20 games the American was in charge of. A vital top-four finish to guarantee Champions League qualification was in danger, and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff acted, replacing Marsch with Tedesco.

Tedesco then quickly steadied the ship, reached the top four, guided the club to the semifinal of the Europa League, and then won the DFB Pokal against SCSC
Freiburg. But there were also warning signs that the club needed to make changes this summer and, first foremost, finally sign a sporting director to take charge of the transfer business.

The sporting director has been, of course, identified already in the form of former Gladbach boss Max Eberl. Eberl, Gladbach, and Leipzig are still in negotiations over financials. Although Eberl stepped down last season from his Gladbach role due to exhaustion, he is still under contract in Mönchengladbach, and die Borussia is trying to make things difficult for Leipzig—a club still steeped in controversy within Germany.

The bickering over those financial details should, however, be resolved soon, and Eberl is set to become the next sporting director and reunified with his former Gladbach coach Rose. But when Eberl takes over in January, his first primary task will be to address the issues that led to Tedesco being fired by Leipzig.

After all, this has been the second poor start in the club’s history in a row. This is also the second time in a row the squad entered the season with significant expectations and a strong belief that the team is strong enough to not only challenge for a top four spot but ultimately also for the title.

Within the organization, there are some indications that Tedesco was not always happy with the new additions. Although David Raum is considered one of the brightest talents in German football, his position was already occupied by the excellent Angeliño.

Then there is the Timo Werner signing. Although his availability was hard to pass up for the Leipzig bosses, Tedesco would have preferred a different type of striker to replace the injured Yussuf Poulsen as Werner occupies to similar of a space than star striker Christopher Nkunku. Benjamin Sesko, who was signed from RB Salzburg is probably a better fit but will not arrive until next summer.

The bottom line is that Leipzig have made a long string of excellent signings but there is a sense that there is a loss of direction. Whether it is on the bench or player signings. The Tedesco departure is just the latest consequence of that decision making process and Eberl will have to come in with the primary task to give Leipzig a clear philosophy.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth