Timo Werner's goal finally secured the quarter-finals of the defending champions in the DFB Cup. Nevertheless, slurs sounded from the stands - from their own Leipzig fan block. Coach Marco Rose calls for more community.
After his unsuccessful appearance in the cup despite one goal, RB Leipzig's coach Marco Rose expressed his confidence in his striker Timo Werner. "He was out for a few months and now has to deliver again quickly. He's looking for his rhythm and his form. That's a completely normal thing," said Rose after the 3-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim. Werner scored the third Leipzig goal shortly before the end, which finally secured the quarter-finals of the defending champion.
Before that, Werner, who was injured for two months until the beginning of January, had missed good opportunities and had run offside in numerous promising situations. Once he even shot himself in the face. A substitution was out of the question for Rose. "I would have let him go 180 minutes. I know what it's like for a striker. He needs trust," said the 46-year-old and complained: "I think it's a shame that the mood is changing. Timo hits it hard, he doesn't always look happy but he scored an important goal for us."
Towards the end of the game, his own fans slandered him with obscene chants. A chorus that, according to RBlive, he has known since August 2017 when he let himself be carried away by a swallow in the game against FC Schalke. But the fact that his own fan block is now intoning it is the next level of escalation. After his hit, Werner turned towards the fan block and put his hand to his left ear. A gesture that is otherwise only seen when opposing fans insult a player.
Rose had noticed the scene and therefore demonstratively hugged his striker after his goal. He also said: "We need Timo in the next few weeks." Because Dani Olmo and Christopher Nkunku are still injured, the next games are against their direct neighbors 1. FC Union and the up-and-coming VfL Wolfsburg, after which the first leg in the round of 16 of the Champions League is against Manchester City.
After his syndesmosis ruptured, Werner was used as a joker against Bayern Munich and was in the starting eleven in the league victories against Schalke and against Stuttgart. In Gelsenkirchen he managed a goal. The 26-year-old has scored eleven times in 20 games this season in all competitions. There are also four assists.
