Earlier this year, there was a lot of buzz in the American press after RB Leipzig announced that Jesse Marsch would be taking over the club following Julian Naglesmann's departure. Marsch, who won back to back doubles with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, became the first American to manage a team in the Champions League, and there were certainly high hopes he'd be able to continue building on the solid foundation achieved by the outgoing Naglesmann.
Well, flash-forward less than half a year later, and those dreams have now turned into a nightmare. Rather than challenging for the title, or at least, a top four berth, Leipzig have really struggled to find their footing under their new manager. To date, die Roten Bullen, who have consistently featured in Europe for the past few seasons, now sit in 11th place and have lost three games on the spin, including a 2-1 reversal to Union Berlin over the weekend.
Marsch, who wasn't even on the tactician's bench as he recently tested positive for COVID-19, was sacked on Sunday. The 48-year-old had initially signed a two year deal in April and assumed his post in July.
The former midfielder departs with a 38.10 per cent winning record, with eight wins, four draws, and nine defeats from Leipzig's 21 games across all comps - showing that Leipzig's woes aren't just confined to the Bundesliga. Indeed, die Roten Bullen have lost three of their five group stage matches so far, and now all eyes will be on whether the team can bounce back in 2022 under new leadership.
For now, Achim Beierlorzer will be the man in charge for Leipzig's upcoming games until the team's execs figure out what direction to go in next.