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RB Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer delivered a scathing assessment of his team’s performance following Saturday evening’s humiliating 6-1 Bundesliga defeat away at Bayern Munich. The 42-year-old described the result as a complete failure in every department and warned that the club had significant work ahead following another damaging away performance under head coach Martín Demichelis.
“We were completely outclassed in every department,” Schäfer told Sky Germany after the full-time whistle. “It was a complete failure on our part in every respect, and that’s why the result is what it is. Unfortunately, we have to be very self-critical about that and address it in no uncertain terms.”
Leipzig had entered the encounter fresh from last weekend’s emphatic 6-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. Any hopes of building on that performance were quickly extinguished as Bayern raced into a three-goal lead inside 34 minutes.
Marcel Schäfer condemns Leipzig’s collective failure
Luis Díaz opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Aleksandar Pavlović and Michael Olise extended Bayern’s advantage. Leipzig offered virtually no attacking resistance during the opening half and found themselves completely overwhelmed by the hosts’ intensity. Demichelis attempted to reorganize his team during the interval, but the changes did little to improve matters.
Díaz struck again just two minutes after the restart, and Harry Kane added Bayern’s fifth in the 53rd minute. The Colombian subsequently completed his hat-trick before substitute Andrija Maksimović scored Leipzig’s consolation goal in stoppage time. Schäfer acknowledged that losing away to Bayern was hardly unprecedented, but emphasized that the manner of Saturday’s defeat fell far below Leipzig’s standards.
“That’s not our standard,” Schäfer said. “We’re going to have to talk about that very seriously.”
The sporting director was particularly reluctant to single out individual players despite questions surrounding Demichelis’ surprising defensive selection.
Veteran Lukas Klostermann, who had not started a competitive match since April, was unexpectedly deployed at right-back. The 30-year-old struggled badly against Díaz and Bayern’s attacking combinations before being replaced by Benjamin Henrichs on the hour.
Schäfer confirmed that he had been informed of Demichelis’ decision on Friday, but insisted that responsibility for the defeat extended well beyond one player.
The latest defeat continued a deeply concerning sequence against the German record champions.
Leipzig have now conceded a staggering 25 goals in their last six meetings with Bayern across all competitions, including August’s Telekom Cup friendly. The run began with a 3-3 Bundesliga draw in May 2025 and has since encompassed 6-0 and 5-1 league defeats, a 2-0 DFB-Pokal elimination, a 3-1 preseason loss, and Saturday’s 6-1 humiliation.
Performance will reignite questions about Demichelis
The performance exposed once again the extraordinary inconsistency of Demichelis’ Leipzig. As Get German Football News’ detailed tactical assessment previously highlighted, the Saxons have struggled to reproduce their excellent home performances away from the Red Bull Arena.
That pattern has persisted throughout the opening weeks of the season. Leipzig have won every home match in the Bundesliga and Champions League but lost every away fixture in those competitions. The contrast between last weekend’s demolition of Frankfurt and Saturday’s capitulation in Munich could scarcely have been more dramatic.
The inconsistency has also raised questions about Demichelis’ position. As previously reported by GGFN, former Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann has reportedly returned to the thinking of some club decision-makers, although Demichelis continues to retain the backing of the hierarchy.
Schäfer’s assessment may constitute something of a shift.
