RB Leipzig are enduring a difficult start to the 2026/27 season, and the problems are stacking up around Martin Demichelis. A 0-2 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 4 left the club ninth in the Bundesliga with six points from four games, already six points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund. That result followed a 1-4 Champions League loss to Como 1907, and the two defeats together paint a picture of a side struggling for consistency at both ends of the pitch.

Demichelis is under growing pressure, with reports that his dressing room communication requires multiple translators because he speaks neither sufficient German nor English. The situation has created friction, with players reportedly having to explain his instructions to each other after team talks.

Injuries are adding to the strain. Assan Ouedraogo required shoulder surgery after the Hamburg win and will not return until the new year, a blow that drew public frustration from Germany coach Jürgen Klopp. Brajan Gruda then suffered an abdominal strain in the Leverkusen defeat, ruling him out of the international break and costing him a potential senior Germany debut.

Off the pitch, left-back David Raum has still not entered contract talks despite his deal expiring in June 2027, making a free transfer departure increasingly likely. Leipzig's next Bundesliga fixture is at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on October 10, a game that carries real weight given the club's need to arrest a slide before it becomes a crisis.