Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, Monday, May 1, 2023
FREIBURG – RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose wants cool heads to prevail in Tuesday’s German Cup semi-final at Freiburg.
Leipzig, under previous coach Domenico Tedesco, beat Freiburg in last season’s final and both are now also battling for the last Champions League berth via the Bundesliga. Freiburg are two points ahead of the Red Bulls and also host Leipzig next weekend in the league.
“You don’t have to make less or more of it than it is. It’s a cup semi-final, both teams are desperate to get to the final. I don’t know why there should be more explosiveness because of last year’s final,” Rose told a news conference on Monday.
“I don’t think I need to stir up emotions, the guys are excited, just like Freiburg.”
The 46-year-old former Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach coach has never won a trophy in his native Germany and now has the chance with his hometown club. He won two league titles and a cup in Austria with Leipzig’s sister club Salzburg.
He said he trusts his players “to find the right level of emotion” at a strong Freiburg side.
“Freiburg play very efficiently. They defend passionately and function very well as a team. They are high-intensity, with and without the ball,” Rose warned.
He might want his players to keep calm, but Rose knows it might get wild on the touchline with both himself and Freiburg counterpart Christian Streich well-known for their touchline antics.
“Christian is emotional, I am emotional. We can probably both always laugh at ourselves after the game – especially when something goes really wrong. But it’s nice to have guys like that,” he said.
