With Red Bull Leipzig storming the Bundesliga table in their first season in Germany’s top-flight the club has captured the imagination.
They are certainly an outsider in a country where fan ownership is the traditional model, but their corporate backing and links to the Red Bull brand are bringing huge benefits to the team.
All and sundry has been shocked by their rise to the top of the table, battling it out with Bayern for top spot approaching the winter break.
Their presence can no longer be ignored and the club demands respect by virtue of its rise.
And, here, sporting director Ralf Rangnick tells all about the team’s grand ambitions.
Q: Can you share with us a brief history of the team?
A: Our club RB Leipzig was founded on 19 May 2009 and after the promotions in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016 we play the season 2016/17 in the Bundesliga.
In addition to the successes of our professional team, our focus is on developing young talent. With currently 17 youth teams, including three girls teams, we have built a complete youth system, ranging from Under 8 up to Under 23 level, which can train under excellent conditions at the 2015 opened Red Bull Academy.
What is the RB Leipzig vision?
Our goal for the future is to become a strong opponent to every team in the Bundesliga, flourishing our play, improving as a whole – and when the right moment comes, we want to fight for the places to qualify for European play, but we take everything step by step.
What are you aiming to achieve this season?
We are a young club, entering the Bundesliga for the first time. Most of our current players play at that level for the first time. First of all we want to enjoy every game and get used to the higher level of Bundesliga play. Of course, we are ambitious and want to be successful as a member of the Bundesliga. However, first and foremost we want to continue to improve and develop our game but also our players by working hard every day. As a newbie we are realistic enough to know how hard it is to be successful on the highest level. Therefore, we will not say that we want to challenge the big teams of the league like Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund.
And your plans for next season?
We want to keep improving and develop our young squad step by step. As for now, we play in the 2016/2017 season on which we focus exclusively. There is so much work to do for this season. We will think about the next when the time is right.
What are the challenges you faced this season?
The team has taken quite a few learning steps by now and we as a whole are very pleased to see that the kind of football we play can be successful as of now. We got used to the faster pace and quicker decisions of the game on Bundesliga level very quickly. Our players adjusted to the new challenges very well.
You have surprised many so far this season, has your success surprised even yourselves?
We believe in our football and in ourselves. As in previous seasons, we benefit from our great team spirit and we meet every opponent and every challenge that faces us with tremendous respect and humbleness. That we earned ourselves 36 points after 15 games is remarkable and honestly, somewhat surprising to all of us. The team and the team around it work very hard every day and each and every player always wants to get better. That is why we don’t lean back and congratulate us for what we have done so far. Moreover, we want to stabilize our game and work on the small details to improve as a whole.
Will RB Leipzig spend big going forward?
As said before, we focus on this season only. But our philosophy won’t change in the future. When we make transfers we want to add young talent to the team, make them better and if the time is right also create our own “stars” from our youth academy.
Will there be any movement during the winter break?
We always look for young talented players but as for now we are very pleased with the squad we have. However, you never know if players might want to leave the club to get more playing time elsewhere or if injuries might increase the need to get active on the transfer market.
