THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN

RB Leipzig's as successful strategy to build a women's team as their men's is right on schedule

-  Rich Laverty

Despite the name and the brand, those at the helm of Red Bull Leipzig's women's team are keen to maintain D that they are currently part of a longterm project.

While the men's team is recognised as regular title challengers and UEFA Champions League participants, the women's team was only created in 2016 and, after working their way up through the leagues, was promoted to the Bundesliga in time for this season.

There is no talk of titles and cups just yet; heading into the winter break, the team sat one place above the relegation zone. For now, the club is operating with a philosophy of developing their own players, and are not yet ready to become a completely professional outfit like the country's leading women's teams, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg.

But Leipzig do have plenty of experience behind the scenes - two world champions no less - in the form of sporting director Viola Odebrecht, who also won four European Cups as a player, and legendary striker Anja Mittag, who is one of the team's assistant coaches.

"It will still take time," says Mittag of the team's long-term vision, after just one win in the first ten games of the season.

"We have some young players, it's not like we bought lots of experienced national team players. We still have a philosophy, which we try to keep and develop our game in that way.

"It takes time, but also the players maybe feel a different pressure to another team. RB Leipzig stands for things; it's a big club. All of women's football in Germany expects us to stay up and that's pressure for the girls to handle" Odebrecht was the first of the experienced duo to arrive, leaving Wolfsburg's academy in May 2019 to take up her role when Leipzig were still in the third tier. Mittag joined shortly afterwards, initially as a player-coach to sign off on an illustrious career that saw her win a World Cup, three European Championships and a whole host of domestic honours.