RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose loves getting away from it all by climbing up mountains and playing golf.
But the newly-installed gaffer also thrives on the comforts of home. And the local Leipzig boy is determined to make it red-hot for Celtic in his manor tomorrow night. The Bundesliga outfit are back on the right path under the 46-year-old after a dismal start to the campaign which cost ex-manager Domenico Tedesco his job.
Tedesco’s 4-1 home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk on night one of Group F ended his tenure and fresh life has now been injected into the squad. Defender Marcel Halstenberg admitted he and his team-mates let Tedesco down in the final days of his reign. Red Bull’s global head of soccer Oliver Mintzlaff said as much last month after the coaching change and the German defender didn’t disagree and he said: “I see it exactly as Oli said. We played badly and carelessly and didn’t stick to the plan. So of course we are also to blame.”
Rose, though, has got Leipzig charging again. Fresh vigour is coursing through the troops ahead of the clash. The boss admits it is going to take time for him to build the project, but the early signs are highly encouraging.
The talented former player was manager of Borussia Dortmund when Rangers knocked them out of last season’s Europa League and got just one term at the Westfalen before being ousted. But Leipzig-born Rose is now back home and the connection between boss and locals is already stylishly rubbing off.
Although defeated in both of his away matches to Real Madrid and Borussia Moenchengladbach since his appointment, it’s been a different story in the Red Bull Arena. Seven goals have been scored without reply against Dortmund and Bochum and Rose is keen to make sure no-one gets it easy on his patch.
He said: “We want to be a force to be reckoned with at home. We want to feed off the atmosphere in the stands and get the fans going with what we do.”
Rose knows it is going to take time to implement his full ideology, but the template is clear. Like tomorrow’s opponent Ange Postecoglou, it’s intense, fast-paced, attack-minded, driven football.
Bur Rose accepts it can’t all come at once, especially during the hectic period of matches between now and the World Cup Finals. He explained: “It’s a new situation for all of us. It’s a bit of learning by doing without fully jumping in feet first.
“We need to make sure that our players aren’t run into the ground and find ways to help them recover and be able to play. Our physiotherapists, fitness coaches and medical team will be an important factor.
“Our goal for the next few weeks will be to not only look to press, but it’s also about using those moments when we have the ball in order to rest and be smart. Hard work always pays off and I am certainly convinced of that. We use the word intensity. I believe that encapsulates what we want to achieve here in Leipzig.
“We want to play intensively, both with the ball and without it. But right now I think it is essential we get to grips with a few things and install a few things that can become second nature. That means building on things game by game until the break.
“It will be a big challenge, but we will tackle it head on and afterwards we will have some time to put some things in place for January that we can also work on in training. Until then, we will simply have to keep our ears to the ground, do lots of video analysis in order to get results.”
Rose is intense when it comes to work, but the former Red Bull Salzburg manager also finds time to let his hair down.
The manager, who has previous with Celtic and as boss at RB Salzburg he recorded two wins over the Hoops four years ago during a Europa League campaign – explained: “I do think it is worth trying to switch off. That means when you finish you can just go home and that is a privilege I now have here in Leipzig with my family and friends here.
“That is something I try to do and often manage. Going for a chilled walk in the hills and then looking at the sunrise. That is an amazing feeling.
“But it can also be a day where you have fun with buddies from early in the morning and then last until deep into the night and rest the next day. That’s part of it.” There are, of course, days when you might not have made much progress here and you need to work on a few things at home.
“If you have a couple of ideas or maybe want to watch a game again, I am someone who loves football. That means if there are games on in the week I will check them out, but it’s also important to find time to switch off and maybe go for a glass or a wine with some friends. I am a people person. I loved spending time in the mountains during my time at Salzburg. I got a lot of pleasure out of that. Going for a chilled walk in the hills and then looking at the sunrise. That is an amazing feeling.
“I have started playing golf in my free time. As someone involved in team sports, you are full of ambition and you have to somehow slow yourself down in order to concentrate on hitting the ball cleanly.
“I didn’t do that so often at the start and you need to have a high level of frustration tolerance in order to forget about it and try again. But the moment you get the ball in the air, it is so much fun.”
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