Jürgen Klopp’s first task at Red Bull? Stop the drinks giant’s soccer empire from crumbling
Leipzig's Benjamin Henrichs, right, and Frankfurt's Niels Nkounkou battle for the ball during a German Cup match between RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt at the Red Bull Arena, in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hendrik Schmidt]
Jürgen Klopp’s task running Red Bull’s soccer operations got a whole lot tougher even before his first day at work. The ex-Liverpool manager was announced in October as the drinks giant’s new “head of global soccer” across its international soccer empire. He isn’t due to start until Jan. 1. In the meantime, that empire is crumbling. Red Bull’s showpiece club Leipzig has lost every one of its games in the new-look Champions League and hasn’t won a game in the German Bundesliga since October. A cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday eased some of the pressure on coach Marco Rose. His young squad’s confidence still appears fragile.
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