Demichelis leaves Seiwald out of the match – spot at Leipzig

RB coach Martin Demichelis did not use the former ever‑present Nicolas Seiwald in the last match. Nicolas Seiwald is going through difficult times at RB Leipzig. While he has been a starter for the Austrian national team for years, he has recently lost his place in the starting lineup at RB Leipzig.

Since the beginning of September the midfielder has had to sit on the bench almost all the time, and there have been hardly any more than brief appearances in recent weeks. On Thursday at the Austrian Football Association campus in Vienna Seiwald showed a fighting attitude and said: “I know what I can do and what I have to offer.” In the first matches of the season Seiwald still started regularly from the beginning.

After two defeats against Werder and Como the coach made a slight change, Seiwald explained. Coach Martin Demichelis has since only relied on a true number six and wants to play more offensively, Seiwald said. In the 5-2 home win over Augsburg last Saturday Seiwald was not even brought on.

Seiwald emphasized that he still tries to make the most of the limited playing time. Demichelis wants more impact from Seiwald in the offensive play, the Salzburg native explained. The 25‑year‑old admitted that the demotion is hard to cope with, that he feels good and fit in training, and that the situation in the national team is as always. At RB Leipzig the role is different, one has to take responsibility from the bench, which is more difficult than starting.

National team and Nations League

In the national team Seiwald has no worries about his place, the team plays on Saturday in Linz against Ireland for the Nations League group victory. A win would secure first place already before the final match on Tuesday in Debrecen against Israel.

For that one must produce a better start than the 2-2 in Dublin, Seiwald emphasized. “This time it will be a different game. We want to take command from the start and must not be caught off guard as we were in Ireland,” he demanded. Photo by Laura Ro from Vienna.