RB Leipzig coach Ole Werner on the 2025/26 season, Yan Diomande, Jürgen Klopp and more!
RB Leipzig coach Ole Werner says that Yan Diomande's "consistency as been extraordinary for his age" and that Jürgen Klopp "really helped" the team settle after a summer of upheaval last year.
Bundesliga: Congratulations on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. You’ve already equalled the club’s record of 20 wins in a Bundesliga season. If you win in Freiburg, then you’ll be the coach with the outright record for Leipzig. What does that mean to you?
Werner: "That at least confirms that we’ve had a very good season and achieved our mission of qualifying for the Champions League.
"Obviously, we want to end the season on a high in our final game against Freiburg, winning three points if possible. I think the entire coaching staff and the team have got almost the maximum out of this season. And it makes me proud to be a part of that."
Bundesliga: You could take that record next weekend, but you also have a notable negative record with the 6-0 loss in Munich to start the season. What did that result do to you?
Werner: "You obviously hope to make a better start, but Bayern’s season has also put things into context in hindsight, because we weren’t the only ones to be on the end of a thrashing. Other top teams also ended up looking bad when Bayern had a good day.
"We knew at the time that it was probably a game we sort of just had to get through. There were a lot of questions for us at the time. Our squad wasn’t finalised yet. We had players – including some starting – who it was obvious were probably going to be gone in a few days.
"All those things played their part and led to that result. It’s not the start you want, but it was also the first test for a new team of how you handle things, how you gain stability as a team. We did that very well in the following weeks. Maybe it helped us in the end."
Watch: Leipzig were beaten heavily in Munich on opening night of the season
Bundesliga: What’s your summary of the season?
Werner: "Very positive. We had a situation in the summer where we didn’t know what direction things would go. We had a big upheaval after a difficult season for the club.
"I think the squad planners and people in charge did a very good job, putting together a team that played a different kind of football and in a different way. We’ve put together a very homogenous group. What the players have added to this process, the openness with which they’ve approached this process, has been excellent.
"I think that’s ultimately been key to having a very good season. We would’ve liked to have gone further in the cup. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get through in Munich. In the league, we need to acknowledge that the two teams above us have had excellent seasons. We’ve come up a bit short there, and we need to be honest. But I think we can definitely live with third place."
Bundesliga: How important is it that the young players who’ve grown this season also stay together to do even better next season?
Werner: "Our objective is that we don’t have the sort of upheaval we had last summer. Obviously some may have come on so much that they now take the next step. That’s part of our club identity and our ideology here, but we obviously want to strengthen the team.
"It’s important that we don’t start again from scratch next season. We’ve developed a framework this season that can carry us. We’ve got some amazing young players and want to keep developing them.
Bundesliga: Has Yan Diomande’s rapid development surprised you?
Werner: "Yes, for him to do it so consistently. Last summer when we looked at him, watched videos to get an impression of him, we had an idea he was an excellent talent.
"The question then is always how quickly someone can perform like that consistently. And the consistency he’s shown has been extraordinary for his age, and the fact that it’s his first full year in professional football."
Watch: Diomande shining brightly in the Bundesliga
Bundesliga: How important is it for Diomande to stay?
Werner: "Yan's a really important player for us, an excellent player who everyone here enjoys working with. And we’d like to continue working with him. It’s also clear there will be interest in a player like him, but that’s not something just down to the coach. If the coach could decide, then of course Yan would be playing here next year.
"It’s good he’s got a contract. I think he feels very comfortable here with us. And given we’ll be playing in the Champions League next season, he can continue to develop. The summer will show how things progress, but we’ll all be happy if he stays here."
Bundesliga: What’s your communication like with Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, Jürgen Klopp?
Werner: "Very good. I think that was also a key reason behind us being able to come through that upheaval and doing so well this year.
"We’ve talked a lot about style of play, tactical things. It’s good for me to get to learn from someone who’s seen it all in this line of work, who’s close but also has more of an external perspective. I think that’s really helped us this year."
Bundesliga: What can Leipzig do next season?
Werner: "Our objective is to perform at this level with a different rhythm. It’s a challenging objective because the team is still going through a development stage and is young.
"It’ll still be the case next year. We’re in an additional competition, which is a huge challenge: being able to test yourself against the best in Europe but also being just as competitive in the Bundesliga in competing for a Champions League spot. That’ll be the job next year, and I’m really excited about it."
Bundesliga: Why did you make David Raum captain? And has that paid off?
Werner: "When it came to deciding the captain, we had big changes in and around the team in the summer, and we wanted to document that and help David develop in a different role.
"We also knew Willi Orbán had been a very good and successful captain here but could still continue to lead the team with his character and way of leading from the front and leading by example. In addition, David is a very communicative person, very energetic. And that helped us in a time of upheaval.
"I think choosing that structure, with both – David and Willi – doing really well in their roles, was definitely also a decisive factor in the guys doing so well this year."
Bundesliga: Christoph Baumgartner has had his best season in the Bundesliga. Is that down to a good Werner-Baumgartner connection?
Werner: "I think it’s predominantly down to the fact he’s a very good fit for the style of play and has a role where he has the security to be able to play that role.
"He’s someone who takes on a lot of responsibility both on and off the pitch and grows through that responsibility. I think those things have come together. He was always an excellent Bundesliga player. I think he was maybe in the shadows of others in previous years.
"He’s stepped out of that this year, maybe taking on a different role but also through what he’s put into it, through the responsibility he took on from the first day here, even in pre-season when it wasn’t clear what his role would be. He’s done it from the start.
"I think he’s someone who grows a lot through that and has become a real leader on and off the pitch this year. That’s reflected in his positive performances. He’s been a really important part of things. Especially in moments where the team found things tough, he was there. I remember the game at Cologne where he scored twice. I remember the first home game against Heidenheim after the Bayern defeat to start the season. He was often at his best in moments where the team was struggling, managing to somehow get his foot in the door. That’s a huge quality."
Watch: Baumgartner has been at his best this season
Bundesliga: We spoke with him two weeks ago and he said he’s sort of taken Diomande under his wing off the pitch. Is that something you asked him to do, or has it come from him to become a sort of tutor for Diomande?
Werner: "That comes primarily from him. Obviously, we spoke with the team’s senior players, who can and want to take on leadership roles. We told them about guiding the younger players, maybe anticipating a mistake you made yourself and pointing out that doing it differently is better.
"The guys do an excellent job there, but that comes primarily – and in this case with Baumi – from themselves."
Bundesliga: What was your best moment in the Bundesliga this season?
Werner: "The best moment was maybe the win at home to Hoffenheim. I think that was a really important game where we could’ve fallen six points behind the Champions League spots, but suddenly moved up to third thanks to a big win at home. That was definitely a special and important moment."
Watch: Leipzig thrash Hoffenheim in top-four race
Bundesliga: And your worst moment?
Werner: "The Mainz home game comes to mind. Many would probably say the first game against Bayern, but that had many aspects that made it more explainable.
"The Mainz home game was disappointing in terms of the energy and quality. That was a moment where you came away knowing we needed a lot of energy to turn things around."
Bundesliga: Are Leipzig capable of causing Bayern serious problems next season?
Werner: "I think the first step for us is to have a similarly solid season when competing in three competitions.
"Obviously, we always set the highest objectives and you always strive for more. But we know Bayern were a step ahead of the entire division this year. Like I said, it’s important we consistently continue our development in three competitions, are similarly as solid and are there when others falter. But we look primarily at ourselves and not at the competition."
