A competition that once represented the club's rapid rise through European football has increasingly become a source of frustration, and Thursday night's 4-1 defeat to Como only deepened the concern. Cesc Fàbregas' side, playing their first-ever Champions League match, produced a performance that exposed Leipzig's weaknesses and left Martín Demichelis facing difficult questions just weeks into his tenure.

The defeat means Leipzig have now lost eight of their last nine Champions League matches, with their only victory during that run coming against Sporting CP. The sequence includes losses to Sturm Graz, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Celtic, Liverpool, Juventus, Atlético Madrid and now Como, a record that is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as a poor run of form.

More worrying than the statistic itself was the manner of Thursday's defeat. Como were not simply fortunate to come away with three points; for long periods, they were the better side.

In the first half, Die Roten Bullen had multiple opportunities, including Nusa's effort, and created further big chances after Como had taken the lead. But while Leipzig squandered opportunities to equalize, Como looked the more confident side. They repeatedly found gaps in Leipzig's rest defence, at times with surprising ease.

The second goal, in particular, raises serious questions about Demichelis' structure. With Leipzig seemingly well set defensively, a simple pass was enough to break the line and create a one-on-one situation that Como converted. From there, Leipzig struggled to cope with the hosts' movement, intensity, and quality in possession.

A dream Champions League debut for Como.

The Red Bulls briefly improved after the restart and began to threaten more consistently, but any hopes of a comeback disappeared when Assane Diao made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Andrija Maksimovic gave the visitors a lifeline with an excellent finish from distance, yet Como remained dangerous and eventually restored their three-goal advantage through Máximo Perrone in stoppage time.

The result was particularly damaging because of the opponent. Como is an ambitious project under Fàbregas, but this is a club that was playing in Italy's fourth tier only seven years ago. Their rise to the Champions League is remarkable, but RBL were supposed to be the more experienced European side. Instead, Como looked far more comfortable on the biggest stage.

For Demichelis, the defeat could hardly have arrived at a worse moment.

Leipzig had already lost 3-1 to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga at the weekend, meaning the trip to Italy was supposed to provide an immediate reaction. Instead, they suffered another heavy defeat and produced another performance that raised questions about the team's structure and mentality.

Willi Orbán was particularly critical after the match, pointing to the Bundesliga side's lack of intensity, poor distances between players, questionable decisions, and insufficient physical presence. Those are not minor problems for a team trying to establish a new identity under a new coach.

The Champions League record is now particularly alarming.

RB Leipzig have gone from being one of the competition's emerging forces to a side that now struggles against almost any type of opponent. Eight defeats in their last nine Champions League games, even if Martín Demichelis was only in charge for one of them, is an alarming sign of how far the club's European standing has fallen.

The trajectories now look increasingly difficult to ignore. The questions are becoming harder to avoid, and the problems cannot be simply dismissed as bad luck or isolated results.

The German side now has to stand up, or risk watching the gap between what they were and what they are becoming grow even wider.

That makes the next weeks crucial.

The Red Bulls still have plenty of time to change the direction of their season, and Thursday's result does not necessarily define Demichelis' entire tenure, but time is running out.

The club's new coach was brought in to give the team a fresh identity, yet after consecutive defeats to Bremen and Como, Leipzig suddenly looks short on confidence, cohesion, and consistency.

The Champions League was once a symbol of Leipzig's progress. Right now, it is becoming a painful reminder of just how far they have fallen.

So, will the real RB Leipzig please stand up?