“I give players at least two or three chances”

Adi Hütter does not have a good memory of the last test match of his Frankfurt Eintracht during an international break. His team lost 3-0 to the bottom of the table in the second division, the Würzburger Kickers, a good four weeks ago. “I don’t need games like that, I just get annoyed because I prefer to train.” This Thursday, Eintracht will meet their old southern rivals 1. FC Nürnberg at 2pm, and Hütter hopes that his professionals will come from the second row this time we will use the chance to attract attention. Some regular players are back on the road with their national teams.

In the Frankfurt squad there are currently a relatively large number of players in the second row. Because after the first half of the Bundesliga premiere against Arminia Bielefeld, Hütter has committed himself to a regular formation that he only changes if someone is injured or the course of the game demands it. The first eleven is a constant. For which the Eintracht coach has had to take a lot of criticism in the past few days, especially in the various fan forums on the Internet. The allegations were sparked by the players Steven Zuber, Stefan Ilsanker and Almamy Touré. Hütter stuck to the trio, although it hadn’t convinced against Cologne, Bayern and Werder. Zuber and Touré then played weakly at VfB Stuttgart last Saturday. So weak that they replaced Hütter during the break. And with Aymen Barkok and Amin Younes everything actually got better. Eintracht converted a 0: 2 into a 2: 2. Enough facts for the critics to be very harsh.

Hutter’s finite patience

Hütter has enough self-confidence to accept this contradiction without complaint. And he provides arguments for why he acted like this: “I’m a coach who doesn’t take the player out of the first bad game. I’ll give him at least two or three chances. In this way I ensure that he feels trust and is not confused at the first mistake. Besides, I have no guarantee that the other will do better. If he also plays badly because he is afraid of being replaced if he does badly, then I have two insecure players. ”On the other hand, the Eintracht coach is convinced, every professional who has played badly three times understands why he is being taken out. Hütter adds: “And the new player can be sure that he too can afford more than one weak game. This is my way of managing people. This path has led me to unity, I will continue to pursue it. “

But of course, Hutter’s patience is also finite, if only so as not to cause too much unrest in the squad. There must be a certain fluctuation so that no one considers the fight for a mission to be hopeless and gives up. Steven Zuber will definitely have to leave his place on the left wing of the starting XI. After a five-week injury break, Filip Kostic has returned for five minutes against Stuttgart. And if the Serb does not injure himself with his national team, he will be back at Eintracht in a week and a half in the home game against RB Leipzig because his substitute Zuber was unable to give the offensive any impulses.

Touré’s low point

The Swiss colleague on the right wing, Almamy Touré, will most likely have to sit on the bench against Leipzig. After five strong halves against Berlin, Hoffenheim and Cologne, the 24-year-old Frenchman suffered a blatant relapse into bad times believed to have been overcome. Already against Werder he was taken off the field by Hütter during the break, the same happened to him in Stuttgart. Then Touré allowed himself a low point when he fouled opponent Gonzalez in a foul way and caused the penalty to make it 0-1.

There are various candidates who could do better in this position than Toure recently. Three of them have the opportunity this Thursday against 1. FC Nürnberg to convince Hütter of their qualities: Danny da Costa, Timothy Chandler and Erik Durm. However, this trio has been overshadowed by a newcomer in recent weeks. Aymen Barkok surprised on the right wing as a substitute in the second half against Werder and Stuttgart. The 22-year-old German Moroccan, who is playing two World Cup qualifiers with Morocco against the Central African Republic these days, prepared all three goals of Eintracht in these Bundesliga games. Barkok, otherwise at home in central midfield, has earned a chance in an unusual role.

There are currently no alternatives at Eintracht in the Sturmspitze. Ragnar Ache is injured, Jabez Makanda is not yet ready for the Bundesliga. There remains Bas Dost and André Silva. So far, Hütter has always offered the two as a duo, against Nuremberg he will practice the tactical variant of playing with one tip and two attacking midfielders behind. Dost and Silva will each take part in the first half of the test run. Remaining flexible – Adi Hütter postulated this credo more than once in the past season. He still has to implement it this season.