RB Leipzig: Cheers to the esprit de corps

Not far from the corner flag, captain David Raum clenched his hands, while defensive leader Willi Orban stood in the center circle, flexing his biceps and beating his chest. Two leading RB Leipzig players attempted similar celebrations at the final whistle of the Bundesliga match against FSV Mainz 05. The 1-0 win, the second success of the season, had been a tough feat after all. There was a reason why two robust defenders were the most happy before the water bottles were sprayed around the large circle: more valuable than the fine individual effort by newcomer Johan Bakayoko for the decisive goal in the 40th minute was the collective effort to hold on to the lead until the finish. After a disastrous previous season and a brief bout of disappointment at the start of this season, the Saxons' performances appear to be gradually stabilizing.

In his debut for Newcastle United, the German international impressed with his unconventional style of play – and ended the sluggish mood at the club with his goal.

"We lost incredible individual quality in the summer, so everything takes time," said RB Managing Director Marcel Schäfer, who, in a cheerful mood, praised the "team spirit" in the mixed zone of the Mainz Arena. Keeping two clean sheets in a row "gives us a boost and helps us develop." The season opener, after all, had been extremely rocky – partly due to the late changes in the overheated transfer market. In the DFB Cup, fourth-division SV Sandhausen could easily have scored more goals against the far too casual Bundesliga side (4-2), but then FC Bayern punished Leipzig's airy defensive stance in the opening game, thrashing RB Leipzig 6-0. The lesson clearly stuck. On the third matchday, no professional wearing the bull logo was above making runs back, blocking shots, or clearing balls away.

Coach Ole Werner was not particularly concerned that only traces of the RB DNA once forged by Ralf Rangnick remained. He didn't even want to use the cup match or the opening match as a comparison: "What you can generally say is that we're doing more things as a team. What's important is that we build a good energy, a good group. That's the only way that works for us. We've had an incredible number of changes: on the pitch, in the dressing room, among the staff, and in the coaching staff. These things take time, but they require a foundation—and that's intensity, community, and discipline." It's important for this team "to know that sometimes just one goal is enough to win games—provided everyone does their job and we have the necessary stability."

The 37-year-old, who was successful at Werder Bremen, could, with his calm and down-to-earth demeanor, be the one who can credibly convey pragmatism in Leipzig as well. Center forward Romelu, signed at the last minute from Turkey for €20 million, found little connection up front, but worked diligently at the back. Werner was able to emphasize afterward how little his goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi really had to do despite Mainz's onslaught. The Hungarian, who has been at Leipzig for ten years, had been seriously irritated by the six-goal haul in Munich. "After two games without conceding a goal, that's slowly getting over, but we still need to keep four clean sheets," he demanded. They didn't "put on a firework display," but: "Last season, we rarely managed to win games like that."

Gulacsi, 35, a figurehead, experienced last season how the individual pieces under the Red Bull umbrella ultimately no longer fit together. Now, he says, they can see "that we have a lot of potential, that we have very good players: With the successes, we can work in a better mood and with less pressure." However, the esprit de corps at Cottaweg must not evaporate, "it should remain that way in the coming weeks." As a reminder: Last season, a Leipzig team, under Marco Rose, had a similar pattern and not undeservedly won at his former Mainz stomping ground on matchday seven, and suddenly found themselves level on points with Bayern at the top. All the praise for the supposedly stable construct would prove to be premature.