What to make of RB Leipzig’s 0-1 loss to Liverpool? In the abstract, it was a defeat that described their place in the footballing world.
Leipzig played well. Their style is now well established and they were true to it, transitioning quickly from defence to attack, often with charming intricacy. Xavi Simons was bright and ambitious. Lois Openda was a threat. The hugely underrated Amadou Haidara was prominent with and without the ball. There were many positives.
And yet the goal they seemed to deserve never quite arrived. Not for the first time this season, either. Liverpool have conceded three times in the Premier League all season, so there is hardly disgrace in not finding a way beyond them. But Leipzig have also failed to score against Union Berlin and St Pauli and, on both occasions, lacked thrust. So, while unbeaten in the Bundesliga — they were the team who finally ended Bayer Leverkusen’s long unbeaten run, winning 2-3 in August — they are still to reach their potential, continuing to be a side difficult to fully trust.
Their Champions League form is equally perplexing. Leipzig were competitive against Atletico Madrid and even better against Juventus and yet still lost both games. They made mistakes that, ultimately, denied them points they deserved. And the same happened on Wednesday night.
It’s the perennial Leipzig conundrum and it poses an existential question of sorts. Their model is built on recruiting young talent, developing it, and then selling it on to the top of the game. This Champions League tie showed evidence of their good work. Dominik Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konate both joined Liverpool from Leipzig, furthering that reputation as a launchpad for future stars.
There are many other examples all across Europe, including Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea), and Dani Olmo (Barcelona). Positioned as a last stop for the players on the way to the stratosphere, the club have become extremely good at what they do, and many members of this current team are heading in the same direction.
But the cost of that identity is that Leipzig teams are never together long enough to mature and to acquire the necessary wisdom to navigate a season. Leipzig have designed themselves to improve players, meaning that — by definition — they must cope with the growing pains that occur during that process and the mistakes that inexperienced players will inevitably make.
Wednesday felt like that kind of evening. Castello Lukeba, who is so obviously talented, paid dearly for two mistakes in conceding the game’s only goal, despite being largely very good. Arthur Vermeeren was largely excellent, but a few forgivable positional lapses allowed the occasional Liverpool pass to whistle through his zone. Errors are part of a player’s education. But at the top of the game, they are always, always punished.
At the other end of the pitch, Openda and Simons — and Antonio Nusa, the Norwegian starlet who joined over the summer — were often captivating. Benjamin Sesko had a quieter night, but he posed a threat at times, too. All four had good moments individually and, fleetingly, in combination, but it was never enough to crack the Liverpool defence. Arne Slot’s side defended well, but their clean sheet described the chemistry that Leipzig lack, which comes from a continuity that they can never achieve.
There is another problem — albeit a subtle one. It’s natural for young players to express themselves more in these big games than they otherwise would. On more than one occasion in attack, Leipzig moves broke down because of exuberance or through decisions made that served the individual. That is another cost of being a finishing school and while not noticeable most weeks in the Bundesliga, it is costly against teams of Liverpool’s class. Again: forgivable flaws in an incredibly harsh environment.
So, how do they maintain that identity while also moving closer to the game’s summit? For instance, at the root of Leverkusen’s unbeaten league and cup double last season was the signing of three seasoned players in the summer of 2023, Granit Xhaka (30), Jonas Hofmann (31), and Alejandro Grimaldo (27).
But Leipzig do not invest in players over 25. Rarely, if ever, do they benefit from anyone’s prime years. Almost every club in world football wants to be buying low and selling high. It’s hardly an original strategy. What makes Leipzig particularly interesting — and their predicament hard — is that they are enacting it while competing on the cusp of the elite. It means that instead of signing players for €500,000 and selling them for €2m, they trade in tens of millions. Rather than trying to surpass mid-level clubs, they are attempting to catch sides with far bigger budgets. Domestically, Bayern Munich. Continentally, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and the rest.
A further complication is that what attracts many young players to Leipzig is the opportunity to play with their peers. For instance, Xavi Simons decided to return for a second year on-loan because he valued the facilities, but also the social group he was in. Talk to other players — such as Lois Openda — and they will say much the same. Culturally, that is very important and that hothouse environment no doubt helps to expedite growth, but there are times during the season when having such a concentration of youth feels inconvenient. It is a strength and a weakness.
Is there a compromise in Leipzig’s future? The club would eventually like to become a destination for players, rather than just the final step of their journey, and — most likely — part of that future transition will involve adding more matchcraft among all the precocious talent.
When that will occur is interesting. But how those ratios are balanced without impacting the club’s selling points — its capacity to nurture potential and its attractiveness to top talent — will be even more so.
(Top photo: Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images)
