Pressure mounting for Rose in Leipzig: 1:5 against Wolfsburg

The situation is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for coach Marco Rose and RB Leipzig. VfL Wolfsburg with former RB coach Ralph Hasenhüttl put the hosts to the test in their own stadium. Rose's future in Leipzig seems more uncertain than ever after the 1:5 (0:3) and the fifth defeat in the sixth game without a win. The Saxons were 3-0 down after just a quarter of an hour and RB slipped to fourth place in the Bundesliga table. Wolfsburg climbed to seventh place.

With a brace from Mohammed Amoura (4th minute/16th) and Tiago Tomas (5th), the Lower Saxons set the course for victory early on. After the changeover, Joakim Maehle (64) increased the lead with a header. Willi Orban (82') only managed to make up for it before substitute Kevin Behrens (90.+1) marked the final score.

Hasenhüttl's bold approach with four attacking players paid off. First, international Benjamin Henrichs was late against Amoura, who scored from four meters. Then Kevin Kampl deflected a shot from Tomas into his own goal. In keeping with the overall situation, Peter Gulacsi (16), who had been strong of late, got the ball straight through his legs from an acute angle.

Lukeba out injured

"We alone are responsible for this. Everything else, like perhaps the injury list, is not a topic of discussion for me," emphasized Rose before the game. The seven injured players - Assan Ouedraogo, David Raum, Xavi Simons, Yussuf Poulsen, El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Elijf Elmas and Lukas Klostermann - were joined by Castello Lukeba, who had to come off after half an hour with a thigh injury. Ex-Wolfsburg player Xaver Schlager, who was back in the squad for the first time after seven months out following a cruciate ligament rupture, made his comeback from the 78th minute onwards.

Openda and Sesko still goalless

In keeping with the crisis situation, Loïs Openda's unimaginative attack was also a case in point: in a promising situation, he despondently failed to look for a finish and tried to pass to the unsettled Benjamin Sesko, but the pass came to nothing (28'). The weakest first half in Saxony's Bundesliga history was met with whistles from the fans.

After the changeover, Rose brought on Arthur Vermeeren for Amadou Haidara. Leipzig reared its head again, with Antonio Nusa in particular making his mark in the build-up play. However, Wolfsburg defended calmly and waited for counter-attacks. Maehle decided the game, and RB captain Orban's goal ultimately had no effect at all as Behrens restored the four-goal gap.

The next few days will show whether the RB management around sporting director Marcel Schäfer will continue to back coach Rose after his heaviest home defeat, as he has recently publicly stated. The leading players had spoken out clearly in support of the coach after the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan.