Leipzig struggle without Sabitzer as Wolfsburg go top

Wolfsburg 1 - 0 RB Leipzig
(Roussillon 52')
Volkswagen Arena

Desperation seemed to set in early for RB Leipzig on Sunday. Just before halftime, with barely a chance created, Willi Orban decided to take aim from 35 yards, with the result you'd expect from a no nonsense center back.

If the visiting side had wanted anyone in their squad to have a pop from that range, it would have been Marcel Sabitzer, the scorer of the majority of the young club's most spectacular strikes. But the Austrian was not named in the matchday squad ahead of a move to Bayern Munich and a reunion with Julian Nagelsmann, which was finalized on Monday.

It is part of the Red Bull model to be able to handle the departure of key men but losing three (also including center back Dayot Upamecano) to Bayern Munich in one transfer window is beginning to look a step too far early in Jesse Marsch's reign.

As good as RB were against Stuttgart last week, they were stifled easily by a disciplined, scrappy Wolfsburg side who performed in coach Mark van Bommel's playing image. Leipzig also lost to a Mainz side with multiple COVID-19 absentees on the opening day.

Bad day at the office

Dominik Szoboszlai's two goals against Stuttgart offered some suggestion he could carry some of the creative and goalscoring weight from midfield. But the Hungarian is new to the team and the league, having been injured after joining in January, and was anonymous. He wasn't the only one.

Emil Forsberg was on the margins, and almost gave away the cheapest of goals to Wout Weghorst, Christopher Nkunku struggled to find the ball and Andre Silva, the man bought in to score the goals RB have missed since Timo Werner's departure, was starved of any service.

That Orban had the most efforts on goal of any Leipzig player speaks to the lack of ideas or fluency in their attacking play. Even with the prescribed Red Bull style and smart identification of players to fit it, changing the spine of the team, not to mention adapting to a new coach, can set teams back.

Wolves stay perfect

Marsch will expect to be given some time to stamp his own mark. But with Bayern Munich and Manchester City to come immediately after the international break, the American could be feeling the heat soon enough.

His opposite number on Sunday also endured a fraught start as a result of the substitution error in the German Cup that saw Wolfsburg kicked out of the competition in the first round. But van Bommel's men are the only side in the Bundesliga to win all three of their opening games and have conceded only once.

In truth, this was not a performance to cherish. Jerome Roussillon slammed home a winner after Peter Gulasci spilt a low cross and the home side probably created a little more either side of that strike. But Wolfsburg qualified for the Champions League on the back of the league's second best defensive record, and looked to have maintained that security.

Without Sabitzer, Leipzig just weren't able to pick that lock.