BERLIN – Leipzig has placed its hopes for the season on Zsolt Löw, a former assistant to Thomas Tuchel, to help them recover their footing. The 45-year-old Hungarian is no stranger to the challenges ahead, as he steps in temporarily following the dismissal of Marco Rose. Löw isn’t related to ex-Germany coach Joachim Löw. On Monday, Löw conducted his inaugural training session with the team, preparing them for their crucial German Cup semifinal against Stuttgart on Wednesday. Yet, his primary mission remains to guide Leipzig to a Champions League qualification.
The significance of securing a spot in Europe’s top tournament is immense. Despite a poor run, where the team won only one of its eight games in the league this season, the participation brought around 50 million euros ($54 million) plus significant revenue from match days to their owner, Red Bull. With Leipzig currently positioned sixth in the Bundesliga, they are three points adrift of Mainz, who currently holds the fourth spot, with seven games left in the season.
“The team now has a duty to turn things around together with Zsolt,” stated Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer, highlighting the collective responsibility of the squad to improve under Löw’s guidance. The team has notably struggled with away performances, having failed to secure a win in their last eight away games and remaining scoreless in five of these matches. They last celebrated an away win in December against Holstein Kiel.
Their upcoming opponent, Stuttgart, also finds itself in a similar predicament, without a victory in six consecutive matches, but will certainly benefit from ardent fan support come Wednesday. Löw brings a wealth of experience, having served under previous Leipzig coaches Ralph Hasenhüttl and Ralf Rangnick, as well as assisting Thomas Tuchel during his stints at Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. More recently, he was the “head of soccer development” with Red Bull’s global soccer operations.
A key part of Löw’s task will be to rejuvenate the form of underwhelming players like Xavi Simons, Loïs Openda, and Benjamin Šeško. Both Openda and Šeško lead as top scorers for Leipzig in the Bundesliga with three goals each, whereas Simons has managed just one goal thus far. Löw’s term is set to cover at least eight matches, with the immediate one crucial in determining if there will be a subsequent German Cup final in Berlin.