Coach Marco Rose burst after RB Leipzig’s defeat against Union Berlin. He also engaged in a war of words skyExpert Tabea Kemme.
“René Higuita – do you all know them, right?” Rose asked after the 1: 2 bankruptcy in the skyround and thus alluded to Leipzig’s missed goal for the supposed 2:2. The goal was disallowed due to an offside position by Timo Werner, but was preceded by an unconventional back-heel defense by Aissa Laidouni.
Referee Daniel Schlager evaluated the action, which, as mentioned by Rose, was reminiscent of the legendary goalkeeper Higuita from Colombia, but as “uncontrolled play by the defender. He sees the ball, but in the end – when he plays the ball with his heel – makes it he does it in an uncontrolled way because he doesn’t see the ball”.
Rose saw it differently: “The ball flies and flies and he wants to clear the ball with his heel, doesn’t he? And he did it very controlled.” The RB coach, who was getting louder and louder, immediately followed up: “The player wants to play the ball in a controlled manner with the heel, period. He wasn’t shot from a meter, he wants to clear the ball.”
When making his decision, Schlager referred to the DFB rules that were adjusted in the summer. “Touching the ball by a player of the defending team only invalidates an offside position if it is a controlled playing the ball that is not the result of a goal prevention action,” it says.intentional Play” the speech, which is why the rule had taken effect much more often.
Rose was still unreasonable. “The boys can juggle with the heel – and without seeing the ball – 20 times if they want. Because they are footballers! Because they love their job and understand it. (…) Maybe a referee should do it come and see what we’re doing,” he grumbled.
Marco Rose: battle of words with Sky expert
As skyexpert Tabe Kemme asked whether the focus of his team would be too much on the “supposed wrong decisions instead of on their own game”, Rose finally burst the collar.
“Excuse me?” He asked initially irritated, only to add visibly angrily after a brief explanation from Kemme: “Well, if you feel that that was our topic today, that we misbehaved on the pitch, that we didn’t focused our performance. I see it a bit differently. I think the lads invested a lot today. They must have focused on their performance. We’ve lost again after 18 games.”
Rose continued: “I think the trend from the question is a shame. I saw the interview with Urs (Fischer, coach of Union Berlin; editor’s note), there is peace, joy and the world is great – and now is the one who lost, we’re trying to find things again. I’m probably too emotional now. In Germany, it’s possible that there’s only black and white again and again. I see my team here very much today white and not black.”
He also rumbled against reporter Patrick Wasserziehr after his interview with Xaver Schlager because he “liked to tease the players” and ask so often that the players were “stinky and angry”.
