"A real wake-up call" – RB Leipzig boss responds after shock defeat to Werder Bremen

RB Leipzig boss Martin Demichelis' team suffered a surprising 3-1 defeat to Werder Bremen on Saturday, following their 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The result has been described by the club's sport director for sport, Marcel Schäfer, as a "real wake-up call" ahead of their Champions League opener against Como on Thursday.

"It was a real wake-up call - perhaps at the right time as well. We've already got another important game on Thursday, so we can't afford to dwell on this for long," Schäfer stated in a post-match interview. Despite missing key players like Castello Lukeba and Brajan Gruda, Schäfer emphasized that the team still had capable players who had proven their talent at the club and international level.

He expressed disappointment with Leipzig's performance, stating, "We fell well short in a lot of areas. The players we were missing are no excuse for that. We still had enough players on the pitch who have already shown what they can do at both club and international level. I therefore expected a very different performance." Schäfer identified issues with Leipzig's ball movement, failure to exploit wide players, and insufficient bodies in the box.

He stressed that while possession and crosses are valuable, ultimately, it is what you do with them that matters. "We didn't find enough ways to break down a side defending very deep."