trainer effect? RB Leipzig meets ex-Salzburger against Bochum
The upcoming opponent of RB Leipzig has a new coach: Thomas Letsch plays VfL Bochum after the Westphalians separated from predecessor Thomas Reis. This means that a piece of RB football has also arrived, because Letsch spent a good three years in Salzburg from 2012 to 2015 as a youth and interim coach.
Letsch should keep VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga
The Ruhrpott-Klub expected his commitment on Thursday, on Monday Letsch will lead the training for the first time. The job is to hold the class. “Our big goal is that VfL Bochum will also play in the Bundesliga next season,” Letsch, who received a contract until 2024: “We will work very hard for that.” The 54-year-old was, as the WAZ reported , for around 300,000 euros from the Dutch first division club Vitesse Arnhem, and follows in the footsteps of Thomas Reis at VfL. He had led the Dutch to the cup final last year.
“Upamecano ate up his opponents”
Through his work at Salzburg, Letsch accompanied some RB professionals years ago. He still remembers Konrad Laimer, Amadou Haidara and Xaver Schlager well. There were very special moments with Dayot Upamecano, who is now under contract with FC Bayern Munich, such as the Youth League game against Besiktas Istanbul. “We lost 1-0 away and he wanted to win the second leg for us all by himself. He literally ate up his opponents in the duels,” Letsch recalled.
Rose and Letsch had years together in Salzburg
Letsch also knows today’s Leipzig coach Marco Rose from Salzburg, where he took over the U16s two years after him. In addition, the direct met in both duels when Letsch was a coach at Austria Vienna. Of he was able to win four games 4-0 win, the rest went to Salzburg.
This also applies to the last meeting in November 2018, when Letsch was already under a lot of pressure in Vienna. “That concerns me because I know Tommy personally. But he’s still there at the moment and doing a good job,” Rose said at the time. When he got the opportunity to take over the professionals in 2017, Letsch left the club.