RB Leipzig: The side pope likes it

Jürgen Klopp, 58, tore it out of his dazzlingly upholstered chair in the VIP stands of the Leipzig stadium, and no one could blame him. What's more, given the magnitude and aesthetics of what was unfolding, he could have also torn the New York Yankees baseball cap off his sculpted head: Rômulo, 23, signed as a striker from RB Leipzig just over ten days ago, had found a Remus in Ridle Baku, 27, and that led to a truly spectacular goal.

Baku advanced almost to the byline, actually passing behind Rômulo. But he flicked the ball into the 1. FC Heidenheim goal with his heel, similar to Rabah Madjer (FC Porto)'s goal against FC Bayern in a European Cup final in 1987. Rômulo's goal not only secured RB Leipzig's 2-0 lead (78th minute) against 1. FC Heidenheim , but also calmed the debates from the previous week, which had arisen following Leipzig's 6-0 defeat at FC Bayern in the opening match of the season.

The now enthusiastic (and perhaps also relieved) Klopp had given the impression, through an unscheduled visit, that he viewed his role as "Head of Global Soccer" in the RB Leipzig empire as a secondary pope of the Leipzig branch. "He was there" and "spoke with the team council," revealed Christoph Baumgartner, 26, the scorer of the magnificent and important 1-0 goal (48th minute), on Saturday.

This might not be worth mentioning were it not for Baumgartner's own participation in the council. And were it not for the vehement protests by RB Leipzig's propaganda department – ​​in Leipzig and in Fuschl, Austria – against the idea that Klopp had met with the team council. Official channels stated that this was "false."

The reason for this meeting was that it had taken place without the newly installed coach, Ole Werner, 37. RB confirmed that Klopp had met with executives; it was also rumored that he had also requested individual meetings with a few problem players. Namely, Xavi Simons, 22, who transferred to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and Loïs Openda, 25, who sat on the bench for a long time on Saturday – allegedly for tactical reasons – and was also reportedly keen to leave the club.

The fact that Simons has recently often been perceived as a kind of abscess probably explains why Leipzig agreed to a transfer fee of reportedly €60 million, even though they had actually budgeted for €70 million in revenue. Nevertheless, nothing serious was said about Simons; instead, it was simply whispered to him that he had developed into one of Europe's best attacking players at Leipzig. According to sporting director Marcel Schäfer, Simons was replaced behind the strikers by Baumgartner, and the Austrian performed so well that after the win against Heidenheim, coach Werner praised him as a "very, very clever player" and "a good character who takes responsibility within the team."

Competition is, in principle, "always good," Baumgartner explained: "But of course, you notice when a player who was a fixture in the position leaves, and then you're perhaps needed a little more by the team. That gives you a good feeling."

Baumgartner's initial consideration of staying in Leipzig was likely anything but adversely affected by Simon's departure. Baumgartner is also among those players who have British pound notes shoved under their noses; unlike Simons and Benjamin Sesko (Manchester United), he resisted the temptation. "I'm a happy RB Leipzig player" and "in the right place," Baumgartner said. He was pleased that the team "took a huge step today, especially in terms of energy and team structure." "You had the feeling that there were eleven guys on the pitch playing for each other."

That's not to say that everything was a work in progress: RB Leipzig struggled considerably in the first half. At times, it seemed as though the team was unfamiliar with the system proposed by Klopp. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, 35, twice kept Leipzig in the game with fantastic reflexes when Heidenheim had great chances; after the break, with the score at 0-1, the Hungarian prevented Sirlod Conteh, 29, from almost doing the same to his brother Chris, who is three years his junior. In the cup match against VfB Stuttgart, Chris Conteh scored one of the equalizers for Eintracht Braunschweig that ultimately brought about the penalty shootout, which VfB won.

But: The lead extended by Rômulo remained; Ivorian newcomer Yan Diomande, 18, failed in his attempt to make it 3-0. "It was a hard-fought victory, but a well-deserved one," summed up coach Werner. New captain David Raum, 27, was also pleased. He announced via microphone that he would donate 1,000 liters of free beer, which suggests generosity. The price of beer in the stadium in Leipzig is €10.60 per liter – which, according to a survey by the Augsburger Allgemeine, is in the upper midfield of the league.