Rose on need for RB response: "The sky is falling."
Two days after convening an emergency "crisis summit" attended by all players and members of the coaching staff, RB Leipzig trainer Marco Rose placed stern demands on his team and the Leipzig supporters turning at the DFB quarterfinal fixture against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
| Marco Rose | RB Leizpig |
Rose has the responsibility of leading the defending DFB Pokal champions against his former club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening. Rose's defeat of Dortmund last September is nothing more than a distant memory at this point. Edin Terzic's side have recovered since the World Cup break and were able to soundly defeat the RB Saxons in the league early last month.
Even if the BVB did slip up against Bayern over the weekend, die Schwarzgelben must be considered the clear favorites to knock the defending champs out of the competition. Rose made clear that he felt this way at his Tuesday presser. The Leipzig native condemned his team's recent performances in the strongest possible language.
"We've let the guts fall out of our game," Rose said, "We take the situation incredibly seriously and are very unhappy. We have a duty to send a message as a team. My lads must travel from the training ground to the stadium with the broadest possible chests."
Rose did note that the ill-timed injuries to Christopher Nkunku and Xaver Schlager had left him without some key performers. The 26-year-old was quick to emphasize that these losses served as an explanation, not an excuse. He also called upon a team that "knows their way from front to back" to "execute as they know how to do" with "sharpness. consistency, and courage".
"There is no reason to doubt us," Rose insisted, "We can flip the switch and decide for ourselves when not to surrender."
Rose did not wish to discuss any squad news beyond the fact that Yussuf Poulsen would remain unavailable for the encounter. The RB trainer also indicated that he had decided for himself whether Janis Blaswich or Ørjan Nyland would start in goal, but would not divulge it. Dani Olmo should presumably be fit enough to once again start. Rose was nevertheless not interested in guaranteeing it.
Instead, as he did after Leipzig's last Pokal match, Rose exerted some criticisms of the fan-base active in his hometown. Rose did not care for the manner in which RB supporters left in droves during the latter stages of the weekend home loss to Mainz.
"It's striking how quickly moods can change in our business," the trainer said, "Sometimes I get the feeling that the sky is falling."
