RB Leipzig’s 3-0 DFB Pokal win over Eintracht Frankfurt was full of relief, and not just for Marco Rose.
The Bundesliga side ended their six-game winless run with a big win over one of the best sides in the country.
Pre-match it looked like Rose was fighting for his job, and he still may be, but he at least knows the team are behind him.
After Lois Openda made it 3-0 with his second goal of the game, he ran to Rose who was mobbed on the touchline by a group of players who clearly want him to stay.
Post-match, the former Borussia Dortmund and Gladbach coach expressed his thanks, saying: “It was a touching moment.
“So much is possible in football. I don’t think anyone really expected us to do anything today. The boys did a great job.
“We got caught up in a whirlpool that wasn’t good for us. We simplified things and took a slightly different approach. We did a lot of things better today than we have in the last few weeks.”
Rose is known to form incredibly close bonds with his players, meaning superstars like Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko have stayed to work with him when they otherwise may have left.
In fact, even Dani Olmo made the unusual decision to pay tribute to Rose in his departure letter, saying: “A special thanks also go to Marco Rose with whom I have built up a very good relationship.
“It is not easy to leave now – also because of him. I wish him and the team only the best.”
Two-time DFB Pokal winners Leipzig are now through to the quarter-finals again, but Rose certainly isn’t out of the woods yet.
A 5-1 defeat to Wolfsburg last time out in the Bundesliga was a potential career-ender, and they also have zero points from five games in the Champions League.
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