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RB Leipzig are holding internal talks over head coach Martin Demichelis's position, Sky journalists Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze write. Die Roten Bullen have been inconsistent and, with former successful coach Julian Nagelsmann available, the Leipzig board are considering a change of course.
Leipzig appointed Demichelis last summer. The former defender, who played for clubs including Bayern Munich, had fairly big shoes to fill as Ole Werner's successor after Werner led the side to a respectable third-place finish last season and Champions League football.
Werner, a pragmatist by trade, lost his job because the Global Team of Red Bull Soccer, still under Jürgen Klopp's leadership at the time, wanted more intensity, more attractive football and, ultimately, a hefty dose of 'Red Bull DNA'.
That decision brought heavy criticism on Leipzig and Red Bull and, as it now turns out, Demichelis is not yet matching Leipzig's average of 1.95 points per match, although the season is still young.
Convincing wins over Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-0) and Hamburger SV (5-0) have been mixed with painful defeats to Werder Bremen (3-1), Bayer Leverkusen (2-0) and Como in the Champions League (4-1). Leipzig are currently ninth in the Bundesliga.
"After this start, the first talks about Demichelis's future are inevitable," writes Sky, which notes that Nagelsmann, who previously guided the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League, has been available since last summer following his departure as Germany head coach. "Part of the management are already considering him."
Either way, Demichelis faces a challenging run with upcoming Bundesliga matches against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich, plus Champions League fixtures against PSV and Real Madrid.
Roger Schmidt, the former PSV coach appointed on 1 October as Klopp's successor at Red Bull, first wants time to get to know Demichelis's ideas better before sharing his judgement with the Leipzig board. "October will be crucial for Demichelis," Sky.