German Football expert Kevin Hatchard has made it clear to Sevco fans that RB Leipzig won’t be pushovers like fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund were.
Speaking tonight on Clyde Superscoreboard, Hatchard said:
“Leipzig pose a big threat, and they pose a much bigger threat than they posed at the start of the season. Jesse Marsch really struggled as coach having replaced Julian Nagelsmann.”
“It was a really tough time for him. I think he wanted to take those players to the Red Bull playbook, which is the basic idea of fast paced, vertical play, pressing without the ball and Julian Nagelsmann, his predecessor, played in a much more nuanced way, a much more tactically variable way, so I think the players weren’t keen on making that journey with Jesse Marsch, and they never really got consistency.”
“But since Domenico Tedesco has replaced him, he has come up with a tactical framework that has allowed them to thrive and they’ve been winning games, scoring goals, they’re already through to the German Cup Final, they’re on track to qualify for the Champions League and they’ve had this incredible run to the semi finals of the Europa League.”
“They’ve beaten Atalanta, they’ve beaten Real Sociedad, so they’re a dangerous team.”
Hatchard also made it clear that despite Sevco fans constant boasts about putting out Dortmund, that this will be a step up for them.
“I think this will be the biggest challenge that Rangers have faced so far. I think it’s a much bigger challenge than the one they faced against Borussia Dortmund because Dortmund have found it difficult to find consistency, especially in Europe, so I think if Rangers are gonna get to the final, they’re gonna have to do it the hard way.”
“The way they beat Dortmund was hugely impressive, but I think it’s worth bearing in mind that you could look at the Bundesliga table and say ‘well look, hang on, Dortmund have got more points that Leipzig, they’re higher up the table than them, we can Beat Dortmund, surely we can beat Leipzig’, but I think what you have to bare in mind, is that since Tedesco took charge, Leipzig have probably been the best team in Germany in 2022, and I would include Bayern in that.”
“They are a completely different team to the one that played the first half of the season, so I don’t think that necessarily stacks up as a comparison.”
“But look, they played ever so well against Dortmund, there’s no reason why they can’t cause Leipzig some problems, they’re not infallible, but I do think this is a stiffer test for Rangers than that one against Dortmund was.”
So there we have it, it’s all very well beating a Dortmund side who have been pumped several times this season by four and five goals and without their best player in both legs, but lets see how they get on against a consistently good side who aren’t an absolute bomb scare defensively.
Let’s hope for the lovely city of Seville’s sake, Scotland’s shame don’t make it there.
