VfL Bochum lost 3-0 at RB Leipzig – so far, so bad from the point of view of the promoted team. For goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, that was not necessary – a corner even made the keeper mightily angry afterwards.
Manuel Riemann was something like Bochum’s point insurance in the first 70 minutes on Saturday evening. After all, the goalkeeper and spokesman made several strong saves and drove the clear favourites RB Leipzig to despair, especially in the opening minutes. Professionals like Yussuf Poulsen, Christopher Nkunku or Emil Forsberg failed regularly.
Shortly after the final whistle, however, the goalkeeper’s strong performance was no longer visible; instead, the 33-year-old veteran shook his head vehemently and even “peppered” his tape on the pitch. The explanation behind it: Riemann was pissed, pissed at his colleagues.
Riemann is more than clear
Which primarily had something to do with the 0:1 in the 70th minute, when the two RB jokers Dominik Szoboszlai and André Silva, as flanker and header, had made the entire VfL defence look old with a simple corner. “We lose a game here again after a standard situation (…) and it doesn’t matter if the opponent substitutes 45 million, 100 million or 200 million here,” Riemann said at the start of his unequivocal interview with “Sky”. “We simply lose after a standard situation. And the first ball, I don’t even know if it was already in (Silva’s header was already in the goal; editor’s note), but in any case there are four Leipzig players running after it, wanting to trip the ball over the line. Exactly none of us are standing there.”
“That’s simply not enough,” a visibly annoyed Riemann said even more clearly – and in the aftermath of his statement even denied some of his team-mates the right attitude: “That’s not enough, and it has nothing to do with naivety. When I take a corner, I usually know that I have to defend my own goal. But apparently not everyone – I don’t know. “
I just don’t understand that.
MANUEL RIEMANN ON THE BEHAVIOUR AFTER THE 0:1
But that’s not all. It was “stupid” to concede a goal like that to make it 0:1 after a corner, but Riemann couldn’t understand why Nkunku made it 2:0 just three minutes later with a header: “Honestly, ten players have their heads down after conceding a goal after a corner – or let’s say eight.” The leading player then lacks cleverness, because Leipzig have naturally changed things up with the substitutions. Then you simply have to stand securely on the halfway line and watch how RB wants to attack from then on. But in this way, his team-mates walked into an open knife, into 0:2. “Four people are pressing, five are at the back, Leipzig plays a deep pass and it’s 2:0. That simply can’t happen to us.”
“I just don’t understand it,” Riemann said repeatedly at the end – and also announced that he wanted to discuss all these points directly with his team-mates in the dressing room. Communication is still an issue, “the coach has been saying that for a long time. But now we just have to start putting things into practice. Preferably quickly. After all, the international break is followed by a visit to Fürth the Saturday after next (16 October, 3.30 pm). It will be the duel between 18th and 17th place.
