Round of 16 in the cup and the Champions League, on the way up in the league. Things are going well with coach Marco Rose. But now RB Leipzig has to cope with Timo Werner’s absence.
On the night flight home, RB Leipzig still celebrated their place in the round of 16 in the Champions League, but half a day later Timo Werner’s serious injury destroyed the party atmosphere.
The national player tore a syndesmosis ligament against Shakhtar Donetsk and will miss the World Cup in Qatar. This was revealed by an MRI scan.
“This news is very bitter. I’m very sorry for Timo personally because he’s missing out on the World Cup that he really wanted to play. But Timo’s absence is a great loss, especially for the team. We all wish him now that he quickly fit again,” said national soccer coach Hansi Flick
According to the club, Werner will not be able to play until the end of the year with the injury that cost Michael Ballack the 2010 World Cup. His 55 appearances and 24 goals in the DFB jersey so far will not be added in the near future. Germany meets Japan in their first group match on November 23.
The 26-year-old Werner was fouled by Taras Stepanenko in the 14th minute of the 4-0 win against Donetsk in Warsaw on Wednesday and had to be replaced a few minutes later. The club initially said the injury might not be serious. Werner hardly limped, got on the bus to the plane back to Leipzig in a relatively good mood.
For the 26-year-old, the news comes as a heavy blow. After two rather disappointing years at Chelsea, Werner returned to Leipzig in the summer. In a familiar environment, the attacker played for the Saxons from 2016 to 2020, Werner wanted to gain match practice and self-confidence for the World Cup. Flick also welcomed the transfer and described Werner as an asset to the Bundesliga.
“Timo Werner is always viewed very critically”
Most recently, he had defended the attacker against criticism. “Timo Werner is always viewed very critically. He scored the most goals in the last few games. If Miro Klose had done it earlier, everyone would have been thrilled,” said the national coach on the Internet broadcaster MagentaTV.
In the past few weeks, the Swabian has actually found his form again. Three goals in the last three league games and goals in the Champions League at Celtic Glasgow and against Real Madrid not only made the player happy, but also Flick, who was not blessed with many strikers.
Werner recently stood symbolically for the Leipzig upswing. The team has found itself under new coach Marco Rose. The team is unbeaten ten games in a row, still in the premier class and in the cup and on the way up in the Bundesliga. “We always have quality. Now we have mentality, passion and attitude on the pitch. That’s where everything comes together,” said playmaker Emil Forsberg.
Forsberg praises coach Rose
The Swedish international also named the trigger for the release of the extra percentage: “It depends a lot on the coach. He came, pushed us a lot, takes us with him every day in training. Then you get going and we follow him. ” When Marco Rose took up his post in Leipzig almost two months ago, the world looked a lot bleaker. The euphoria of the cup victory fizzled out mercilessly, coach Domenico Tedesco had no more solutions and had to go.
For Rose, saying yes to Leipzig was not a matter of course. After all, it was about a job in his hometown. Thoughts of the daughter, who could possibly be bullied after defeats at school, shot through the 46-year-old’s head. Ultimately, Rose’s analysis was positive and he signed a contract until the summer of 2024. The interim conclusion after eight weeks: Leipzig hit the bull’s eye with the coach.
Rose managed to close various construction sites in the team in a short time. He drove out the selfishness of fine spirits like Dominik Szoboszlai and gave the team a much more intensive and active style of play. In 13 games across all competitions, Leipzig scored an average of 2.23 points. Restricted to the Bundesliga, this would be an almost masterly record. RB took the lead nine times in these games and left the field as the winner.
Rose is far from there
In addition, the trainer can be taught. As in the case of Christopher Nkunku. “He gave me a helping hand,” Rose explained. “In the first two games he played offensively on the left. Then he came to me and said he had to get closer to the goal because he felt more comfortable there. He scored straight away and that makes the coach happy too To have taken his player’s advice.” The French international also scored the important first goal in the 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Rose is mostly relaxed on the outside. After reaching the round of 16 of the Champions League and the associated hook on the first goal of the season, he gave a little insight into his emotional world. “I’m responsible for the big picture and of course I’m a bit relieved that it’s going that way,” said Rose. But there are many people responsible for this, whom he would like to thank.
Rose is far from there. At some point he wants to do the same as his predecessor Tedesco and win a major title. “I want us to develop further, to get better, to become sharper, to become an absolute top team that is always there on the spot. It’s a big challenge,” said Rose. Currently, there is a tendency not to describe this challenge as impossible.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
