Ibrox ‘white flag’ was catalyst for change as Leipzig chief swung axe
PATIENCE and stamina were the watchwords in Oliver Mintzlaff’s previous life as a distance runner. Judging by the events of the past few months, the RB Leipzig chief executive appears to have abandoned those virtues for what looks a lot like panic.
It’s startling to observe how sharply Leipzig have fallen since reaching last season’s Europa League semi-final.
There, of course, they lost narrowly to Rangers over two legs, a defeat that in itself was hardly a disgrace, not least when manager Domenico Tedesco was able to offset the disappointment on two fronts.
Qualification for the Champions League represented a solid upturn in fortune under the Italian-born coach and he also delivered the club’s first-ever major trophy in the shape of the DFB-Pokal.
So why, then, will Marco Rose and not Tedesco be in charge when Celtic visit this Wednesday?
According to German newspaper Bild, the roots of the 37-year-old’s downfall lay in his preparation for that two-legged tie with Rangers and, specifically, the words spoken in his pre-match press conference at Ibrox.
Leading 1-0 after the first leg, Tedesco claimed that the season would be a success regardless of the outcome in Glasgow, a line he claimed was designed to take the pressure off a group of players whose form had wobbled in the preceding matches.
To Mintzlaff, it looked like a white flag.
And, after a 3-1 defeat in part powered by the energy of a capacity Ibrox crowd, he embarked on a train of thought that ultimately led to Tedesco’s sacking.
Mintzlaff (below) represented Germany in the half marathon at world level and was also a European cross-country competitor. Now 47, the athlete’s vest has long been abandoned in favour of the sharp attire of a boardroom player.
A marketeer by trade, Mintzlaff pursued a subsequent career with sports manufacturers Puma and eventually found a home with Red Bull, leading to his current dual role as the group’s
Head of Global Soccer and figurehead at Leipzig.
Unusually for the superorganised world of German football, Leipzig entered the current season without a sporting director, meaning Mintzlaff’s reach extended far beyond the boardroom brief and into the heart of the football department.
He decided he needed to act in the wake of a 4-1 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on the Champions League’s opening night last month.
The team had won only one of their first five league matches. Given his success in elevating the team from 11th to fourth following his appointment as Jesse Marsch’s successor last November, Tedesco probably felt deserving of a chance to turn the situation around.
Yet, after just 10 months in the job, he was gone along with a backroom staff containing former Celtic defender Andreas Hinkel.
The early favourite for the job, Rose’s appointment was obvious and logical. With a stint at Salzburg already under his belt, he is well versed in the machinations of the Red Bull operation.
Out of work for four months following his sacking by Borussia Dortmund, a team also eliminated from European competition by Rangers last term, Rose was available at just the right time and has approached this new challenge with fresh eyes and a refreshed mind.
There was an instant bounce, a 3-0 victory over Dortmund that would have brought deep satisfaction not only to the head coach but his boss upstairs.
Less could be read into the 3-0 Champions League loss to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu but defeat by a similar scoreline at Borussia Monchengladbach pointed to a persisting fragility of belief.
Rose will be aided by the arrival of Max Eberl from Monchengladbach as the club’s newly-appointed sporting director. And he benefits from Mintzlaff’s success in holding on to forward Christopher Nkunku, who showed up well against Rangers and has broken into the French national team this year.
The wisdom of the decision to bring Timo Werner back to the club from Chelsea is beginning to pay dividends after the 26-year-old forward yesterday took his tally to six goals in 10 appearances for the club in their 4-0 win over Bochum in the Bundesliga.
It’s hard not to trace a connection between that transfer and another Mintzlaff subplot that brewed over the summer.
Heavily linked with the vacant sporting director role at Stamford Bridge, it was widely reported in both Germany and England that he had spoken to the London club about a move to the Premier League.
The job went to another Red Bull operator as Stefan Freund swapped Salzburg for Stamford Bridge. But Mintzlaff’s apparent willingness to at least consider moving to a club unrenowned for its stability was telling.
Slow and steady may win the race.
But in the reactive world of elite-level football, a short and sharp burst of opportunism is more often the default solution.