Bundesliga: American coach Jesse Marsch on brink as RB Leipzig lose again

Berlin: American coach Jesse Marsch was under fire after RB Leipzig slipped to a third straight Bundesliga defeat with a 2-1 loss at Union Berlin on Friday with club chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff saying “all options are on the table” to halt the slide. After 14 games, ambitious Leipzig have just 18 points and trail leaders Bayern Munich by 13 points. They have yet to win away in the league. “We need to take a long hard look at what needs to be done, including the coach,” Mintzlaff said after the game. “We are like any other team, all the options are on the table.” Marsch oversaw the last two defeats but was at home recovering from Covid-19 as his charges ran aground again on Friday. He took over as coach from Julian Nagelsmann as coach for the 2021–22 season. “The team has a responsibility to him, and they didn’t show that,” Mintzalf said. Leipzig have never sacked a coach since they joined the top flight in 2016. In-form Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi’s early goal set Union on the path to victory, lifting them to fourth place. This was Awoniyi’s ninth Bundesliga goal this season. Awoniyi pounced at the far post on six minutes to put Union 1-0 ahead but Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku levelled with a speculative shot from outside the box that bounced over the diving keeper on 13 minutes. Union then grabbed the winner just before the hour mark when a shot from Max Kruse was deflected off teammate Timo Baumgartl and into the goal. Leipzig, who are eighth in the table, face Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday but their hopes of making the last 16 are already over. The weekend’s major clash comes Saturday when Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich. Star Bundesliga strikers Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski go head-to-head with one point between the sides. Haaland has scored 10 Bundesliga goals for Dortmund so far this season while Lewandowski has 14 goals for Bayern.