Zsolt Lőw: An old face in a new role | OneFootball

Zsolt Lőw: A familiar face in an unfamiliar role at RB Leipzig

Zsolt Lőw faces a baptism of fire on Wednesday evening, as his first game as a head coach sees him take RB Leipzig into a DFB Cup semi-final with VfB Stuttgart. It may be Lőw's first game in his new role but he's in familiar surroundings, and all too aware of his opposite number.

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Indeed, upon accepting the role, it was a case of prioritising one family over another.

"It's an interesting story," the 45-year-old said in the wake of being named caretaker first-team coach in the wake of Marco Rose's departure following Leipzig's 1-0 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 27.

"My wife had blocked off the weekend for me because we wanted to celebrate a birthday. Then suddenly [sporting director] Marcel Schäfer called me and said I was the right man for the job. RB Leipzig means a lot to me. I started my coaching career here. I was part of this family until 2018. The birthday was obviously irrelevant."

Lőw worked as an assistant coach at RB Leipzig between 2015 and 2018, and under some noticeable names, too. (Roger Petzsche)

Lőw began his coaching career in Austria at Red Bull Salzburg's feeder club, FC Liefering, as assistant to former Bochum boss Peter Zeidler. In his two years there the side won the third division title in 2012/13, before finishing third in the second tier the following campaign.

In addition to Zeidler, Lőw bumped into a few faces there that will be familiar to Bundesliga fans: Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer, current and former Gladbach men Stefan Lainer and Valentino Lazaro, as well as Holstein Kiel’s Thomas Dähne.

Lőw crossed paths with a number of future Bundesliga stars in his early coaching career. (MICHAELA STACHE)

After two years at Liefering, the former Wolfsburg left-back joined forces with another former Bundesliga coach, Adi Hütter, at Salzburg. One season, 22 wins and 99 goals later, Lőw landed at current employers Leipzig for the first time, initially under Ralf Rangnick.

Having already learned from some well-renowned tacticians, Lőw’s career took another upward turn when Thomas Tuchel, whom he played under while at Mainz, took him under his wing as his assistant at Paris Saint-Germain. He then followed him to Chelsea and Bayern, with their collaboration resulting eight major honours over four years, including a UEFA Champions League victory in the 2020/21 season.

Now, the former Hungary international has the opportunity to win his first title as the main man, with Leipzig travelling to VfB Stuttgart in the DFB Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

“Marcel [Schäfer] and I talked a lot and made a decision together," he explained at his official unveiling. "He can be very convincing. For me, it's an honour. My calendar was actually full until May. I was in Dortmund for the birthday in question, and I also had to inform my wife and children. There's a reason why I'm here. We have a lot to do and, of course, big goals."

Aside from a potential trip to Berlin for a cup final, that includes UEFA Champions League qualification via a top-four Bundesliga finish.

“What do we need to do to be successful? It only takes two wins to win a title. The cup is very important. It will be in the history books forever.

"We have to give it our all in the next seven weeks and create a space where the players can develop well," he continued. "I hope that, in the end, we can advance to the Champions League together. That's important to me. I want to leave something behind for the team here.”

Leipzig's cup semi-final will pit Lőw against an old friend and teammate, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß. The pair became acquainted in their time playing together on the books of Hoffenheim, with Hoeneß also going on to coach at Leipzig between 2014 and 2017.

“I also know Sebastian very well," Lőw said. "We know each other from Hoffenheim, but we were both here at Leipzig too. They're a very good team. They've developed a lot, but haven't been as outstanding in recent weeks as they were last season. Nevertheless, they're dangerous. We want to win the game with positive energy."

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