Peter Gulacsi
RB Leipzig’s former Liverpool keeper is now rated one of the best in the Bundesliga
Can RB Leipzig end the long reign of Bayern Munich as Bundesliga champions?
The way we played against Bayern [0-0 away], the strongest team in Germany, should give us courage. We are doing well and we are a young side, a hungry side. Experience is important in football but it’s not everything. It’s always a question of small details, about moments of magic or mistakes. We have to minimise our mistakes and use our talent, but it’s all open – and that is really great after Bayern dominating for so many years. It is exciting for fans.
Many pundits say you are currently the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga. How do you react to that?
My dream as a young boy was always to play in a big league in front of big crowds and to belong to a club where I am really appreciated. It wasn’t focused on one particular club. My big goal was to be an important player and I am very happy that, in Leipzig, I have found this club. I came up from the second division with Leipzig and I have had to make steps in my career, to keep improving along with the team. People started to recognise me last season really and I am very glad if I am mentioned among the best keepers. That’s a big compliment when you think of other keepers like Manuel Neuer or Yann Sommer.
What impact has your coach, Julian Nagelsmann, had at Leipzig?
He’s a very young but talented coach. He had already showed his skills and his philosophy at Hoffenheim. He saved them from relegation and transformed them into a top-four team in the Bundesliga. His ideas are really exciting for the players. The big target is to reduce the gap between us and the top teams like Bayern, and so far we have done that. His philosophy is a bit different. He wants a lot of control with the ball, not just pressing and working against the ball. With this mix, if we find the right balance we can be really successful.
Does that make him a mixture of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola?
Yeah, we can say that, of course. We want to keep the pressing and the counter-pressing, which had already made us successful and become a style of RB. But he was brought in to give that extra which can transform us into a top team. If we look at Liverpool’s improvement, throughout the years they became a lot better with the ball because you have to have control over the game. It’s not enough just to press, press, press and when you lose the ball press again. You have to control the ball. I think Klopp has stabilised Liverpool in that way in the past 18 months. They have a lot more ball possession.
Are you a footballing keeper like Alisson at Liverpool and Ederson at Manchester City?
I had to adapt to the new style. Last year we were a lot more direct but now we try to play out more. I am more involved in the game and so far it has been working really well. I think I am comfortable with the ball at my feet. We are more flexible in formations with Nagelsmann, changing during matches. He reads the game really well and can find details that can make us successful.
You began your career as a teenager at Liverpool. How was that experience?
I have very good memories. I went at the age of 17 and the first three years went as planned. The coaches, led by Rafa Benitez, really paid attention to my development; they were planning step by step how I could reach the level of the first team and be the number one for the club. Unfortunately, after Rafa left there were many changes at the club with Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers. They are all fantastic managers, but at that time, because the club was not doing that well, they had other priorities. For a young player it is a difficult situation but one you have to accept and understand. That’s why I decided I needed a change and had go somewhere else to be a number one keeper.
Did you ever play at Anfield?
I was on the bench 52 times for Liverpool but I never made a competitive appearance for the team. The only time I played at Anfield was in the testimonial game of Steven Gerrard. On one hand I regret I didn’t get the opportunity at Liverpool, but on the other that’s what triggered my move to Salzburg and then Leipzig. I am very happy where I am now.