What Rose learned from Klopp

His future boss Jürgen Klopp influenced RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose as a player. “We had situations in Mainz where we felt hopeless. “Kloppo came in the next day and made us feel like we wanted to play the next game straight away,” said Rose. “Believing in yourself, never giving up, those were important attributes that I learned from Kloppo – in addition to good defending.”

Rose did not get any tips for Leipzig’s game against Klopp’s former club Liverpool FC in the Champions League. He also sees parallels to Klopp under the new coach Arne Slot. “The nature of the game has hardly changed,” said the 48-year-old. “It’s very intense, they’re strong against the ball. That’s what has always distinguished Liverpool.”

Klopp as mastermind

Rose also learned something from coach Klopp. “His leadership, openness, honesty. In terms of content, it was mainly the topic of defending that I took with me,” reported the coach.

After his break, Klopp will start as Red Bull’s global head of football on January 1st and will therefore also be responsible for Leipzig. Under the cult coach, RB football should become the brand it once was under Ralf Rangnick.

Bill for the knockout phase

In the new league format of the Champions League, both Leipzig and Salzburg are still without a point after two games. “Losing is never good. We could have earned a point or two,” said Rose. RB lost at Atlético Madrid and in the majority against Juventus Turin. “Liverpool is a completely different caliber.”

But no one panics even if there is another defeat. “You need eight to 10 points to get into the top 24,” said Rose. Leipzig still had five games left in the 36-team league after the Liverpool duel. “We put a bit of pressure on ourselves with our start. But Liverpool is anything but a playoff.”