Split
The managers don’t agree, the players fight with broken self-confidence, the fans are not allowed to celebrate – at Eintracht Frankfurt there is a lot going on before the Champions League highlight in Marseille.
Is football history repeating itself this Tuesday?
Review, September 2018: Eintracht Frankfurt, the sensational winner of the German Cup, started the season with a stutter, performance was extremely mixed, enthusiasm for participating in the Europa League was subdued. “Before the game in Marseille, Eintracht has considerable doubts,” said FR at the time. But then: the breast release, the turning point of the season, the sporting initial spark. In a poor game in front of a ghost backdrop in the southern French port city, the actually inferior guests wrestle down last year’s Europa League finalists Olympique Marseille.
After three minutes it was 0-1 from Eintracht’s point of view, before Lucas Torro headed in in the second half and, despite Jetro Willems being sent off, the storm jewel Luka Jovic bagged the win with a brute hammer shortly before the end of the season. Harmonious ecstasy in the empty circle. “We were the screamers. We dominated the 300 attendees with a 20-strong delegation,” joked Axel Hellmann, CEO of Frankfurt. It is the beginning of a famous journey that turns the almost fired Adi Hütter into a celebrated coach, that delights offensive lovers, that produces buffalo, that creates heroes in San Siro and that tragic one at Stamford Bridge.
Olympique Marseille – SGE: See you again in the Champions League
Today, four years later, September 2022: Frankfurt’s Eintracht, sensational title holders in the European cup competition, started the season stuttering, the performances were extremely mixed, varying from splendid (Leipzig) to lousy (Lisbon and Wolfsburg), the enthusiasm about the first Participation in the Champions League already subdued. And again, in this mixed situation, there is a game at Olympique Marseille. This Tuesday (9 p.m./Dazn) the Frankfurters are challenged in the Stade Vélodrome, this stadium worth seeing, architecturally impressive with the curved grandstands, outstanding vocals from the loudest supporters in France.
The around 5,000 Eintracht fans who traveled with them had to behave quietly in the run-up to the game and, due to a police order, are not allowed to sing in the city centre. They will be driven to the stadium in buses, they are not allowed to travel there on their own. Will football history be repeated here in Marseille of all places? Will the game be a turning point for Eintracht Frankfurt?
It’s possible, logically, especially since the focus on highlight games is anchored in Eintracht’s DNA, the players perform at their best when they can escape from everyday life, when the floodlights go on, the mood vibrates, the air shimmers. “If you see the constellation in the group, it would be good if we win in Marseille to keep the situation open,” says sporting director Markus Krösche.
Should the second group game of the premier class again result in a defeat for the Hessians, who had already lost 0: 3 at home against Sporting Lisbon, a progression to the round of 16 would still be possible, but somewhat unlikely. After all, the Tottenham brace awaits, two duels against the top favorites.
But if Eintracht actually manages a surprise coup against the southern French, who have started the season well (see article on page 21), a lot could change for the better, something could develop in the team, a spirit that carries the team, allows self-confidence to grow brings success.
At the moment, however, there is also a lot to be said against it. The spirit of optimism after the 4-0 win in the league against Leipzig is gone within eight days and due to two sobering defeats, the self-confidence of the pros has been shattered. Most recently against Wolfsburg, every risky pass seemed too much courage, as it either ended up with the opponent or was not played at all in the course of the game. Coach Oliver Glasner screamed and screamed and screamed about the shortcomings and didn’t make it any better. The uncertainty is palpable.
“It will be a completely different game than against Wolfsburg,” replies Markus Krösche: “We will meet an opponent who is more offensive and attacks us much higher up.” From the manager’s point of view, Eintracht will be better. That’s certainly true, but can that be enough for an away three?
Although the Europa League success was less than four months ago, there is a lot of pressure on the Eintracht boiler. Another defeat and the enthusiasm for the Champions League would be pretty much gone for the time being, the team would be under pressure to win in the league at VfB Stuttgart by Saturday at the latest if there weren’t any major unrest in the Bundesliga break that followed.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Shortly before the crisis
The atmosphere is tense, according to reports, especially between the sports director Krösche and the trainer Glasner – the two executives are said to have been quite far apart on various personnel issues in the transfer summer, which can and may happen in principle, friction is part of it, but this causes their relationship apparently suffered. Only recently in the case of Daichi Kamada, who had received an offer from Benfica Lisbon, there is said to have been no agreement on the sale or whereabouts of the playmaker. After the game in Berlin, there is said to have been a loud dispute between the two. Neither Glasner nor Krösche have made any public statements about this.
From a purely sporting point of view, the squad should have been strengthened on the defensive with one or the other quality player, which has been financially difficult, is becoming more and more apparent. Glasner recently mentioned his limited personal alternatives for the defense, which is actually true due to many injuries to the professionals, which Krösche should not like at the same time. To some extent, the trainer’s criticism of the purchasing policy always resonates.
On the other hand, on the offensive, which recently paralyzed against Sporting and VfL, Glasner has enough options at his disposal, but so far he has not been able to combine them profitably in a tactical concept. (Daniel Schmitt)
