The 45-year-old Argentinian took over in the summer after the surprise dismissal of Ole Werner, but he reportedly speaks neither enough German nor enough English to deliver his tactical instructions directly to the whole squad. That has created an unusual dressing-room setup: several people have to translate his team talks at the same time.
According to the report, team manager Babacar N'Diaye translates for the French-speaking players, while goalkeeping coach Frederik Gößling passes the message on in English. Assistant coach Cristian Fiél, a German-Spaniard, also serves as a direct link between coach and squad. But that layered chain of translation is causing friction. The German players in the squad are said to often have to explain their coach's words to each other afterwards, which means much of the former Bayern professional's original energy and emotion is lost.
How secure is Martin Demichelis in the saddle at RB Leipzig?
Leipzig's inconsistent performances have only intensified the debate around Demichelis. In particular, the surprising league defeat at Werder Bremen (1-3) and the disastrous 1-4 defeat in the Champions League against FC Como 1907 in the Champions League made the criticism louder. "I know the rules. I know exactly that there is not that much time in football - especially not at a big club. If you don't win, everything is bad," Demichelis had said after the defeat in Como.
Last weekend's emphatic 5-0 win against HSV gave the coach some breathing space, yet the scepticism has not gone away. Demichelis is under particular scrutiny because Leipzig's lofty ambitions after last year's third-place finish already look under threat after those early setbacks. The coming weeks will show whether he can steady the team in the long term despite the language barriers. He now needs more convincing performances if he is to keep justifying the trust of those around the club and the senior leadership.
How did the club react to the mini-crisis?
Amid the unrest, the club's leadership are pushing for stability. Sporting managing director Marcel Schäfer answered the growing criticism with an official statement last week. He said they would remain "calm, focused" internally and stand firmly together. "That applies to all employees, the team and the entire coaching staff. Everyone has our support and our trust," Schäfer made clear. He also urged patience with the project and pointed out that a newly assembled team needed time to develop routines.
Still, Schäfer did not hide the fact that the recent results "do not meet our standards". The club were dealing with the situation "very clearly internally", but did not want the current debate to knock them off the path they had chosen. For Demichelis, that backing amounts to a formal vote of confidence for now, but the expectations are clear. Only if communication between coach and team becomes more efficient, and the results keep improving, will the Martin Demichelis situation in Leipzig calm down.