"The energy drink maker had apparently given its football club wings - finishing 2nd in 2020/21, runners-up in the DFB-Pokal, and producing a coveted coach in Julian Nagelsmann to boot. As recently as 2022/23, Leipzig was hot on the heels of the top two, before a tough seventh-placed finish in 2024/25. This season, the gulf to Borussia Dortmund has widened and the chasm that separates the club from FC Bayern is devastating."
"That's not to say they didn't have chances. In the second two, Die Roten Bullen looked lively enough to put the Bavarians under considerable pressure early before folding like clockwork. But fold like clockwork they did. After an early goal was wiped out by VAR, Leipzig managed just one shot on target the rest of the way, and after Harry Kane's opening score in the second half Bayern nearly put in another goal instantly..."
"It is not that Leipzig does not have good players, but the aura lately is decidedly less than threatening. Gone are the likes of Dani Olmo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku, Joško Gvardiol, Xavi Simons, and Benjamin Šeško. In their place are gems such as Yan Diomande, Antonio Nusa, and the young German national team hopeful Brajan Gruda. For all the profiting, Leipzig"
RB Leipzig rose to prominence with a 2nd-place Bundesliga finish in 2020/21, a DFB-Pokal runners-up placing, and producing manager Julian Nagelsmann. Recent form has dipped, culminating in a seventh-placed finish in 2024/25 and a widening gap to Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern this season. Leipzig lost three matches to Bayern by a combined 13-1, struggled to convert chances and managed just one shot on target after an early VAR-annulled goal. The club now faces a race for European qualification against Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart. Key departures of star players have left promising but less intimidating replacements.
Read at Bavarian Football Works
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