The cup final was still far away for Domenico Tedesco. For good reason, the RB Leipzig coach did not want to know anything about Berlin after just creating Champions League qualification. Because his team does not work at the moment.

“We still have a few more days,” said Tedesco after the happy 1-1 (0-0) at relegated Arminia Bielefeld, who secured Saxony fourth place and thus the renewed qualification for the European premier class with its money pots.

Almost defiantly, Tedesco just wanted to talk about it and not already about the DFB Cup final against SC Freiburg next Saturday. “Now we have reached the Champions League first,” said the 36-year-old with a serious expression. “Now we are happy – everything is fine. It’s great, great.”

RB coach tense on the sidelines

Tedesco was scolding and wild during the game with the limited but game -determining and, above all, passionately acting Arminen, kept running along the sidelines and sometimes even on the field.

Even after the game and the lucky balance by Willi Orban’s header in the third minute of stoppage time, his cry and the grim facial expression did not match the “pure joy”, which he supposedly wanted to express. As always, Tedesco gathered his highly paid staff on the lawn of the Bielefeld Alm.

Emil Forsberg did not want to reveal what was said there. “This is afraid now,” said the Swede. In contrast to Tedesco, Forsberg triggered the view of the final in Berlin joy and a permanent grin. “This is just a game that is about everything. The cup final is something very special. We will cut everything in,” he promised.

RB should do that too, because in the end exactly this did not appear. Fourth place somehow seemed to have been secured in the last rim. At the end of the season, the shape curve of the brown team showed significantly down.

performance increase is needed

Of the past six competitive games, RB lost three, was eliminated against the Biederen Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League semi-final and only escaped another bankruptcy on Saturday.

Tedesco Leipzig had taken over to eleventh from Jesse Marsch at the end of 2021 and brought it on course. Despite the performance dent in May, RB is the best round round team in the league.

“We can be proud. The first six months were not easy. After the winter break, we did it very well. We then put our potential and quality on the pitch,” said Forsberg. However, the words did not match the performance on Saturday. Tedesco may have been acidified. Champions League qualification or not: a performance increase is needed by Saturday.