The Argentine spoke after Leipzig’s 2-0 win at Schalke on Saturday, their first away league victory of the 2026-27 Bundesliga season. The message, according to Bild via Bulinews, was not meant as reassurance.

“I know that I have to achieve targets with RB Leipzig; that’s why I’m here. And if we don’t achieve those targets by the end of the season, then I’ll leave myself.”

What those targets are has not been spelled out publicly, but a return to the Champions League is widely understood to be among them. Leipzig sit fourth in the Bundesliga, three points behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, with results that remain lopsided: dominant at the Red Bull Arena, repeatedly undone on the road until Saturday.

A sporting director already losing patience

Demichelis took over from Ole Werner in the summer, and the first months have been bumpy. The heaviest blow landed on 17 October at the Allianz Arena, where Leipzig were taken apart 6-1 by Bayern Munich.

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Sporting director Marcel Schäfer did not soften his words afterwards. He called the night “a complete failure on our part in every respect” and publicly questioned the Argentine’s choice to send Lukas Klostermann into the right-back slot after months out.

Europe has not offered relief. Leipzig were beaten 1-4 by Real Madrid and 1-4 by Como in the Champions League league phase, and head into Matchday 4 near the foot of the 36-team table.

Manchester City, from a distance Demichelis knows

Manchester City arrive in Saxony on Wednesday. Kick-off is at 9pm local time at the Red Bull Arena.

The fixture is not neutral for Demichelis. He spent three seasons at the Etihad as a player, joining in September 2013 and leaving in June 2016. He won the Premier League in his first year under Manuel Pellegrini and lifted two League Cups before moving on.

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The City he faces this week has changed shape since. Pep Guardiola stepped down at the end of the 2025-26 season after a decade in charge, and Enzo Maresca was appointed on a three-year contract on 29 June to replace him. City come in on six points, Leipzig on three.

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