Martin Demichelis Leads RB Leipzig Against Former Club Manchester City
Coach Martin Demichelis prepares his RB Leipzig side to host Manchester City in the Champions League on Nov 4, aiming to secure a vital result against his former employers. The 45-year-old former Argentina centre-back spent three seasons at Manchester City as a player, claiming the 2013-14 Premier League title alongside two League Cups.
Leipzig enter the fixture having beaten City just once across six prior attempts. However, the German club senses vulnerability in Enzo Maresca’s squad, which has dropped two of its past three matches while managing only a penalty shootout victory in the other. Compounding matters for the visitors, the English club faces the looming spectre of financial rule breaches and potential sanctions.
The appointment of Demichelis in the summer followed a controversial decision by then-Red Bull boss Jurgen Klopp. To install Demichelis, Leipzig dismissed popular coach Ole Werner. Werner had successfully guided a young squad back into the Champions League while developing players such as Yan Diomande, whom Real Madrid subsequently purchased for a reported €125 million just a year after Leipzig acquired him for €20 million. Although Demichelis suffered relegation from La Liga during a brief stint with Mallorca the previous season, Klopp and the Leipzig hierarchy moved forward with his hiring following a notable upturn in form under his watch.
After a difficult start in Saxony that featured a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como and a 6-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich, Leipzig have won three games in a row. The Red Bulls currently sit three points shy of the Bundesliga summit, though they face an urgent need for points in Europe. Sitting 29th in the 36-team Champions League table after securing only one win from three matches, the 2020 semi-finalists require an immediate turnaround.
Maxime Esteve Highlights the Manager’s Competitive Aura
Centre-back Maxime Esteve described his manager on Nov 2, noting that Demichelis instils an intense drive within the squad. Even in small games in training, you can see that the coach does not want to lose,
Esteve told AFP and other media. When he misses something, you can see he’s a little bit angry. You can see he stopped playing football not that long ago. You can see the aura of his competitiveness.
Drawing comparisons to his former Burnley manager Vincent Kompany—now in charge at Bayern Munich—Esteve pointed out shared traits between the two former Manchester City players. It’s funny because they both spend a lot of time in the gym,
Esteve said. They want to stay fit, because they have a big history in football. They play in games in training and you can see they are quite competitive. They don’t want to lose. They are really energetic and spend a lot of time at the training ground. They are perfectionists and want to sort out the small details as soon as they can.
Having previously faced Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland during his time in the English Premier League, Esteve acknowledged the challenge ahead. Although Leipzig faced Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane just two weeks prior, the French defender singled out the Norwegian forward. He’s so powerful, so good with his head, so quick,
Esteve stated. He has all of the qualities to be a beast. So it will be a difficult game, but when you want to progress in football, you have to play against the best opponents. And you want to perform in this type of game.
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