Unstoppable Dream Duo: Season Review of the RBL Attack

Lots of goals!

RB Leipzig scored a total of 97 goals across all competitions in the 2023/24 season. An impressive 80 of them, or almost 80 percent, were scored by the red and white attack. In the Bundesliga, we even improved by 13 goals compared to last year (77 instead of 64), making us the fourth-best attack in the league. The squad shake-up from last summer also paid off in the attacking department.

This was primarily due to three new signings. Lois Openda, Xavi and Benjamin Sesko really let it rip and often played fantastic football, scoring 56 goals between them. The trio were much more than just replacements for Christopher Nkunku, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva. Christoph Baumgartner also joined the team and became a top super sub.

And the guys who are already part of the team delivered once again. Dani Olmo scored a hat trick, Yussuf Poulsen increased his goal tally as usual. But we also had to say farewell: Emil Forsberg said "Goodbye, Messestadt"!
 

An offensive all-purpose weapon

Eljif Elmas has been playing for us since the beginning of the year. After four years at SSC Napolli, the North Macedonian national team player moved to Cottaweg in January with experience including a Serie A title, a total of almost 50 European Cup games and participation in a European Championship. In the long term, the versatile attacker is expected to take on the role of the departed Emil Forsberg.

From day one, Eljif fit seamlessly into the team and earned himself playing time in training. The right-footer made his Bundesliga debut at the end of the first half of the season in the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. In total, he made 15 more appearances over the course of the second half of the season, and was in the starting line-up for the first time on Matchday 25 (a 2-0 win against Darmstadt 98).

He has already shown off his strengths such as dribbling ability and speed time and again in the Leipzig jersey. It is quite possible that the 24-year-old will now really hit the ground running with a full summer preparation after six months of getting used to the game.
 

Top Super Sub in the Bundesliga

With his performance of seven goals and seven assists the year before for TSG Hoffenheim, Christoph Baumgartner from Kraichgau joined us in the summer of 2023.

In addition to his goal threat, "Baumi" also brought speed and technique to the trade fair city, making him another important piece of the puzzle in our offense. Left wing, right wing, hanging striker or offensive midfield: the European Championship participant with Austria played almost everywhere up front. It was no coincidence that he played in 32 of 34 Bundesliga matches, as well as in six Champions League matches and in both DFB Cup duels.

His speciality? Goals from the bench! The 24-year-old scored four of his five Bundesliga goals as a substitute. This put him at the top of the league rankings along with Benjamin Sesko and Mathys Tel (FC Bayern Munich). In the home game on matchday 11 against SC Freiburg, he really turned it on. After being substituted on with the score at 1:1 in the 67th minute, he won the penalty to make it 2:1 shortly afterwards. In injury time, he sealed the deal with his goal to make it 3:1. Great!

Borussia Dortmund also seemed to suit the world record holder. Our number 14 scored in both duels with the Champions League finalists and played a decisive role in two big-point victories!

"El Mago“ continues to conjure

Dani Olmo opened the season with a bang! “El Mago” scored a hat trick against FC Bayern in the DFL Supercup and was the outstanding player in the 3-0 victory in the Allianz Arena.

Our magician's start to the season in the league was also really good, with two goals and one assist in the first three games. Creative, light-footed, brilliant on the ball: Dani was on fire.

But then football showed its cruel side again. First a knee injury stopped him, then at the beginning of November a shoulder joint dislocation. Both injuries cost Dani almost the entire Champions League group stage. You just had to feel for the Spanish European Championship squad member, who was already set back by health setbacks last year.

In January, the super technician, who usually moved from the right side to the middle, was finally able to play again at the start of the year and, as he gained more match practice, he picked up more rhythm and form. Overall, our number seven scored eight goals and provided five assists in 25 games (1,715 minutes). A rate that is impressive.
 

Thanks for everything, legend!

On December 19, 2023, at exactly 7:54:52 p.m., Emil Forsberg left the red and white stage in Bremen's Weserstadion for the Big Apple. After almost nine years. His haul: 71 goals in 325 competitive games for the Leipzig Bulls, and with his 68 assists he is number one in RBL history. Strange and somehow fitting: He scored the 500th, 700th and 1,000th goal in our history. You can't make this up.

And in the first half of this season, the Swede showed once again how important he was and that he could turn our game around at any time. Emil scored four times in 22 competitive matches in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League. He also wore the "C" on his arm five times.

It was all the more wonderful that Emil appeared on the scoreboard again in what was probably the last Champions League appearance of his career. In the final group match against Young Boys Bern, he scored the 2-1 winner. Of course, we don't know how the CL round of 16 match against Real Madrid would have turned out with our legendary number ten. It's quite possible that Emil would have had a decisive impact. Because he was made for the big games.
 

The sky is the limit

July 19, 2023, there he was: Xavi, then 20 years old, reigning top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie with 19 goals for PSV Eindhoven. Trained in the legendary youth academy "La Masia" (FC Barcelona), gained experience at Paris Saint-Germain, Dutch international. Yes, sounded good.

But what Xavi showed on the green pitch from the start amazed and delighted every football fan. The offensive player shook up the opposing defense and delighted the crowds with his fast dribbling, perfect technique and dangerous finishes. He also harmonized beautifully with Lois Openda, the two became an almost uncontrollable duo and scored 60 points between them.

The 21-year-old was mostly used on the left wing or right wing and delivered an outstanding season at a consistently high level. He played in 43 matches and scored ten goals and provided 15 assists. With 13 assists, he collected the second most in the Bundesliga behind Alejandro Grimaldo (14, Bayer 04 Leverkusen).

3,468 minutes of play were also a sign of his consistency; only David Raum had more in our team (3,555). He was also named “Rookie of the Month” twice in the Bundesliga.
 

The goal series expanded

It remains the same: Not a season goes by without Yussuf Poulsen scoring at least once. Our record appearance holder (396 appearances) also scored in his eleventh season in the trade fair city. The first time he did that was on matchday 12 this year against VfL Wolfsburg. And because it was so good, Yussi added another in the two weeks that followed.

The Dane scored the decisive goal in both the 2-1 win in the Red Bull Arena against Heidenheim and the 3-2 win in the top match at Borussia Dortmund. In total, he scored five goals and had three assists in 38 games this season. In the second half of the season, the physically strong attacker played a little less because Benjamin Sesko was really hot. Our number nine was and is also extremely important for the dressing room.

Of course, the success story continues with one of our main club icons, as the attacking tank also extended his contract last autumn until 2026. Yussi is also still a fixture in the Danish national team, and he too will soon be traveling to the European Championships in Germany.
 

Belgium's Number One

He came, he saw and he scored. And Lois Openda basically never stopped. After scoring 21 goals in the RC Lens jersey, "Bouzou" just carried on in the RBL jersey with the number 17 on his back. He was to become the most accurate RBL rookie of all time.

Any problems adjusting to the Bundesliga? None at all. The Belgian European Championship participant scored straight away in the opening match in Leverkusen and was also on hand in the first home game in the landslide victory against VfB Stuttgart. Between the 18th and 22nd BL matchday, the super striker struck in five games in a row.

In total, he scored 24 goals (including four braces) in the Bundesliga, putting him in third place behind Bayern's Harry Kane (36) and Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy (28). In February, he replaced his compatriot Emile Mpenza as Belgium's new BL record holder with his 14th goal of the season.

Lois was also immediately involved in his first Champions League year. He added another four goals to his list of Europe's best, including a brace at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City. In total, he scored 28 goals this season (seven assists), making him our top scorer. His 45 appearances are also a Leipzig record.

He scored most of his goals thanks to his instincts inside the penalty area. When the ball came into the danger zone, the ice-cold finisher was already there. With his right, with his left, with his head. With his speed, he was also very difficult for defenders to stop in running duels. So it's no surprise that he leads most of our offensive stats.
 

Explosion in the second half of the year

Two years ago it was already clear that Benjamin Sesko (then Red Bull Salzburg), a top talent in attack, would move to the Red Bulls in the summer of 2023. And the 20-year-old Slovenian, who will also be able to demonstrate his skills at the upcoming European Championships, was completely convincing in his debut season.

In the first half of the season, the striker (1.95 meters) mostly came off the bench, but in his third game against Union Berlin he scored twice after coming on as a substitute. And even then you could see what fine technique and ball control as well as speed the youngster brings with him despite his size.

At the winter training camp in La Manga, the attacker was in brilliant shape. It seemed as if he had taken several steps in his development at once. At the end of the first half of the season, he found his place in the starting eleven almost all the time and continued to adapt his game as an ideal complement to Lois Openda. This led to successes, which also seemed to increase his self-confidence from week to week.

And it's actually a shame that the season is over. Because the amateur basketball player went on an incredible run towards the end and scored in the last seven BL games in a row. Only Timo Werner managed that in the 2019/20 season. At 20 years and 353 days, he was also the youngest player to ever achieve this feat in the Bundesliga. In the second half of the season alone, he scored eleven of his 14 league goals, plus two goals each in the cup and Champions League. That means a total of 18 goals for our number 30.
 

Potential for the future

Yannick Eduardo, our U19s' top scorer (18 goals in the Bundesliga North/Northeast, five goals in the UEFA Youth League), was allowed to train regularly with the first team. The young Dutchman (18) signed a professional contract in January and was in the matchday squad on January 13 against Eintracht Frankfurt and on January 20 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Nuha Jatta has even had a taste of Bundesliga football. The U19 player has also already been given a professional contract. The attacking midfielder, who was in the first team line-up five times, was substituted on in injury time on matchday 34 at Eintracht Frankfurt. At 18 years, two months and eight days, the German U18 international became the third youngest professional debutant behind Jonathan Norbye and Sidney Raebiger.