RB Leipzig have already matched the club's Bundesliga record of 20 wins, and they can break it with a win at Freiburg. That sits alongside a 6-0 opening-day defeat to Bayern München and a season that has still ended with Champions League qualification. Ole Werner's main point, though, is Yan Diomande and the level he has kept across his first full year as a professional.
Why Werner keeps coming back to Diomande
Werner did not hide behind vague praise. "The consistency he's shown has been extraordinary for his age, and the fact that it's his first full year in professional football," he said. That is the line that matters most here, because it matches the numbers rather than just sounding good in a quote.
Diomande has made 32 Bundesliga appearances, scored 12 goals and added 7 assists. He also carries a 7.76 Bundesliga rating across the season. Those are not the numbers of a player drifting in and out of games. They point to a winger who has been involved, productive and steady through a full league campaign.
Werner's assessment of RB Leipzig also includes the more obvious team argument. He said the club's Champions League target was met, and that the season has been a very good one. That is hard to dispute when the win total has already matched the club record, even if the opening-day collapse in Munich is still part of the story.
Klopp's role in a steadier Leipzig
The other part of Werner's debrief is less visible but still important. He said he and Jürgen Klopp have talked a lot about style of play and tactical things, and that Klopp's more external perspective has really helped Leipzig this year.
That does not make Klopp the only explanation for a calmer season, and the brief does not ask for that kind of leap. It does suggest that Leipzig's rebuild after summer upheaval has had more than one source of support. Werner clearly values having another sharp football mind to bounce ideas off, and he framed that input as part of why the team have settled.
The key point is that Leipzig's season can be read on two levels. The club reached the Champions League target and matched a wins record. Diomande, meanwhile, has been consistent enough for his coach to describe him in unusually strong terms for a player in his first full pro season. The final test now is simple enough: Leipzig go to Freiburg with a chance to set a new Bundesliga high for wins.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
