RB Leipzig are under real pressure after a difficult opening to the 2026/27 season, with questions mounting over head coach Martin Demichelis following back-to-back defeats. A 1-3 Bundesliga loss at Werder Bremen was already a cause for concern, but a 4-1 hammering at Como in their Champions League opener has intensified the scrutiny around the Argentine. Reports from Bild indicate that doubts about Demichelis existed within the club even before the season began, with concerns that he lacks clear ideas in possession play. Sport director Marcel Schäfer described the Bremen result as a "real wake-up call" and demanded a sharply improved response.

Demichelis took charge over the summer as a replacement for the sacked Ole Werner, arriving from RCD Mallorca on a contract running until 2028. The early signs were encouraging, with a 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on the opening Bundesliga weekend and a 6-0 cup thrashing of Eintracht Trier. Those results now feel distant. Three defeats in their last five matches across all competitions have shifted the mood, and the team sits eighth in the Bundesliga table with three points from two games.

Off the pitch, the club has also absorbed the departure of Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid for 125 million euros. Christopher Nkunku has returned on loan from AC Milan to fill the attacking void. Leipzig host Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga on 13 September, a fixture that carries added weight given the current climate around the club.