Als it would have guessed Sebastian Rode. The captain of Frankfurt Eintracht recently said that “the youngsters have to move up”. The defensive midfielder was concerned with assuming responsibility in the team. Rode named his neighbor in the sixth position, Djibril Sow, by name. This “plays a role” for him, said the captain. “Djibi has a lot of minutes on his back and is now coming to an age where he has to take more responsibility.”
The Swiss Sow, national player in his home country, is 25 years old. In the previous season he played a total of 43 competitive games in three competitions with Eintracht. The strong professional was a frequent player in his club. A constant in the successful community, who surprisingly won the Europa League thanks to their team spirit.
On Wednesday, Sow captained Frankfurt in the 5-0 friendly win in Walldorf. Although Rode will keep this post. But the 31-year-old, who had to slow down in training due to a knee irritation, was only used by coach Oliver Glasner from the 46th minute. Sow advanced because other candidates ahead of him in the hierarchy were also unavailable at the start of the game. Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was absent because of a cold. Makoto Hasebe also had to give way to defender Tuta before the 38-year-old Japanese replaced the 15-year-old Brazilian after the half-time break. And Martin Hinteregger ended his career this summer. The Austrian wasn’t keen on the bandage, as he had enough to do with himself.
As far as his nature goes, Sow is a soft-spoken man. It doesn’t push him to the fore. But when the Swiss is asked, he makes clear statements. Sow has something to say. He, who joined Eintracht in 2019, is now ready to play an important role in the team off the pitch. Newcomer Mario Götze is also firmly planned for this. His career predestines him for this task.
The former Munich and Dortmund professional has become German champion five times and decided the World Cup in 2014 with his 1-0 winning goal against Argentina. However, the playmaker also got to know the football business from another side when he had to go through difficult times in the Bundesliga and did not live up to the high expectations. It was only in Eindhoven in the Netherlands that Götze was able to increase his performance again in the past two years. “With his wealth of experience and the standing that Mario has, he’s good for our whole team,” said Rode, whose knee problems keep forcing him to take breaks. The word of the 30-year-old Götze will count in Frankfurt.
“I was sure today that Filip will stay”
This Monday (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on ARD) in Magdeburg, when Eintracht meets the second division promoted team in the first main round of the DFB Cup, Götze will probably be in the starting lineup. His starting eleven in Walldorf suggests that, because for the first time in pre-season the former international was challenged in a friendly from the start.
Götze had many ball contacts in the first half – coach Oliver Glasner made a complete change after the break. His assist for Kostic was worth seeing. Götze contributed to the successful combination game to the best of his ability. Glasner raves about the skills of his prominent access. He said to Götze that he “shouldn’t let me tell him nonsense” when he was in possession of the ball, that he could trust his intuition and creativity, said the head coach. “You find the rooms much better than I see them,” said Glasner to Götze.
But the game designer has serious competition: teammate Daichi Kamada tried out Glasner in a duel with the regional league club in defensive midfield. If Rode or Kristijan Jakic were to play alongside Sow from the start in Magdeburg, Kamada would be a candidate for the creative moments in his traditional position in attacking midfield. Because of his good early form, the Japanese also claims a place in the team in which Rafael Borré played at the top in Walldorf.
Penalty striker Lucas Alario was part of the second eleven in the second half. Kostic is sure of his place in the team – even if Eintracht cannot say with certainty whether the Serb, for whom West Ham United has offered him, will continue his career in Frankfurt at all. In Walldorf, Glasner said after the game: “As of today, I’m sure that Filip will stay with us.” The coach must also have good hopes, as there is currently no equivalent replacement in the squad for the track player Kostic. As things stand at present, the Serb with his power and dynamism is indispensable on the flank. For the extended circle of captains, on the other hand, there are enough candidates.
