It distinguishes successful clubs that the sense of entitlement is high and there is no complacency. In this respect, it is a good sign that Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche chose remarkably critical words after the 3-0 win against Hertha BSC.
Warns against too much “freestyle football”: Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche.
IMAGO/Jan Huebner
A bystander would not have come up with the idea that Eintracht had just won the game against the capital club if he had listened to Krösche’s explanations in the catacombs of the arena a few minutes after the final whistle. “The second half was bad. We were too sluggish, not active, didn’t have any seriousness, weren’t focused and tried to play a bit of football. There was a lot of freestyle. To be honest, we can’t be satisfied with that,” analyzes the 42 -year-old, who is in possession of the football teacher’s license himself. Krösche warns: “If we think we can achieve our goals with 60 or 70 percent, that won’t work. Because we did less, we let Hertha come back into play.”
There was a lot of freestyle. To be honest, we can’t be satisfied with that.
In terms of content, he hits the nail on the head with his criticism. If Tuta hadn’t headed off Jessic Ngankam’s shot on the line in the 62nd minute, the game might have ended. A more confident opponent would probably have punished Eintracht’s negligence. The team would have “done less” in the final phase of the first half, states the sporting director and demands: “We have to see that we are more consistent and decide these games faster. In the Bundesliga, an opponent can always come back, for example via a standard situation . We have to learn to be at 100 percent for 90 minutes.”
Good chance conversion is also “dangerous”
He finds the extraordinarily good chance conversion in recent games “good, but also dangerous”, so he clarifies the claim: “We have to create more goal chances more consistently.” Up until the 85th minute, Frankfurt had exactly two chances against Berlin: the two goals. On the 17th matchday, the Hessians only had one chance in the 1-1 draw in Freiburg, which Randal Kolo Muani took advantage of, which is well worth seeing. “The team can do more, they’ve already shown that. But they have to put it on the pitch every week, even if you’re 2-0 up,” emphasizes Krösche and warns: “We must never leave the door open, a 2-0 is very dangerous in the Bundesliga.”
Glasner “prefers to whine at a high level”
Coach Oliver Glasner wasn’t quite as harsh on his team, but he prefers to warn too much rather than too little. “It’s important that we don’t become complacent. I don’t see any signs of that, but I’d rather raise the warning finger,” says the coach. He put it aptly: “We complain at a relatively high level, but we prefer to complain at a high level than at a low level.” In addition to justified criticism, however, praise should not be neglected. Glasner emphasized the “brutal variability” in the first half and raved about the 2-0: “It was a fantastic attack from the outside, where we overloaded one side, combined incredibly quickly and played deep at the right moment – with a great one Finished by Kolo.”
Against Darmstadt “it’s not possible with three climbers and four hooks”
The team must build on these positive moments in the cup against Darmstadt on Tuesday. The warning words of those responsible may come at just the right time. A cup-off against Darmstadt of all places would cause a severe hangover. “Unbeaten for 20 games, top of the table, hardly conceding goals, insane efficiency on the offensive – you can’t do that with three climbers and four hooks,” warns Glasner of the second division team.
Frankfurt won’t be able to afford comfortable phases like the 3-0 win against Berlin in the Hessen derby. The coach calls for a “concentrated, straightforward, fast game” and “consistent defence”. Newcomer Philipp Max announces: “Even in the short time I’ve been here, I know how important this game is. We’ll burn and throw in everything we can.”
