Leipzig's Showdown with Former Flirt Fàbregas: Demichelis Under Pressure

Marcel Schäfer has only seen Como’s stadium—picturesquely situated on the lakeshore—from his car so far. He drove past it once and thought to himself, “Oh wow, we could really make a splash here,” reported the sporting director of RB Leipzig. At least one new grandstand was added for the first Champions League match at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, where the German up-and-comer will face its Italian counterpart, Como 1907, on Thursday (9:00 p.m./DAZN).

Schäfer’s connection to Como, however, is far more complex than the manager might let on with his stadium anecdote. In the spring of 2025, Cesc Fàbregas—coach of the club that was still playing in the fourth division in 2019—was Leipzig’s top choice to succeed the ousted Marco Rose.

For weeks, the topic swirled through tranquil Leipzig; after intense efforts by then-global soccer chief Jürgen Klopp, his assistant Mario Gomez, and Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, an agreement was finally reached with Fàbregas on a contract.

Werner’s Shadow

But the billionaire owners of Como—Indonesian entrepreneur Robert Budi Hartono and his brother Michael Bambang Hartono, who died in March—had no intention whatsoever of letting the former world champion go. The brothers—whose combined wealth exceeds 35 billion dollars—were certainly not tempted by Leipzig’s offer. And so, after the intense spring courtship, Fàbregas ultimately did not say yes.

After several more rejections (including Oliver Glasner, Roger Schmidt, and Jacob Neestrup), Leipzig opted for the umpteenth solution: Ole Werner. And he delivered. Werner was an immediate success following a massive overhaul, turning Yan Diomande into a star who was sold to Real Madrid for a profit of over 100 million euros, and led Leipzig back to the Champions League. 

Werner exceeded all expectations—and yet he still wasn’t good enough for Leipzig. Under pressure from Klopp and Gomez, Schäfer had to let the coach go; instead, Martín Demichelis was hired to take Leipzig to the next level.

The former Bayern star had led River Plate to the championship in his native Argentina in 2023, but otherwise hadn’t impressed with titles in his coaching career. Yet people saw something in him—above all, Demichelis was expected to instill greater intensity and more flair into the team.

Disappointment After the Bremen Match

After just two league games, however, the mood in Leipzig is already gloomy. The strong start against Mönchengladbach was followed by a very weak 1-3 loss in Bremen. Demichelis’s coaching style wasn’t consistently evident, but Leipzig’s old problems were: few solutions against deep-lying opponents, and soccer that was too slow and at times lacking in passion.

The “Bild” newspaper promptly reported on internal concerns regarding the hiring of the 45-year-old. It claimed he had already shown a lack of ideas in possession throughout his coaching career, and that the issue had come up as early as the preseason. For many Leipzig fans, who still haven’t gotten over the firing of the popular Werner, a performance like the one in Bremen is confirmation that the coaching change was unnecessary.

Immediate reaction needed

Of course, Demichelis can’t be blamed for that. But he also made some poor decisions in Bremen. He placed returnee Christopher Nkunku in the center of the attack. However, due to the midfield’s weak performance, the Frenchman often dropped back, only to be missing up front as a target for crosses.

The defense also looked extremely vulnerable, with Bremen getting too many shots on goal. “Our defensive setup wasn’t good enough. We didn’t find enough solutions against a very deep-lying opponent,” Schäfer criticized. Demichelis emphasized that they must “correct the mistakes immediately. “We have the opportunity to show a response on Thursday.”

This response must also come from the coach in what is now a particularly intriguing matchup against Leipzig’s former first-choice player, Fàbregas. After all, there must be no repeat of Leipzig’s Champions League debacle from two years ago. Back then, the team lost seven of eight games and clearly missed the planned knockout stage. Demichelis needs a win—above all to strengthen his own position.