Dino Toppmöller followed Darmstadt’s misstep on Monday evening in the DFB Cup (0:3 at fourth division club FC Homburg) on television. Not at his workplace at Eintracht Frankfurt in the professional camp, but at home. In his own four walls he has his “peace and a better view, that’s what I prefer,” says the trainer about his retreat.
The appearance of the “Lilien”, who are rather dispassionate by their standards, will not have scared him. But Toppmöller also knows that the team of his coaching colleague Torsten Lieberknecht will be willing to put up much more resistance this Sunday (5.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN) in the sold-out Waldstadion. The Hessen derby on the first match day of the Bundesliga is motivation enough for both sides. This time the promoted team from Darmstadt wants to trip up the favored Frankfurters.
Eintracht, who won 7-0 at the regional league club Lok Leipzig after initial difficulties, go into the explosive neighborhood duel with a better feeling. The team from the Conference League participants seems to be growing well together, as goalkeeper Kevin Trapp emphasizes: “You can feel in the dressing room that we have a good team structure.” The newcomers are all “great characters”.
“The competition is big”
One of the additions is Omar Marmoush, who came from Wolfsburg and scored a goal as a substitute in Leipzig. He is aware that he has to show a lot of assertiveness in the ranks of Eintracht in order to be placed as desired in the future. Because: “The competition is very big. When I’m on the pitch, what counts is that I give 100 percent. And I do that,” says Marmoush.
The French national player Randal Kolo Muani also has a permanent place at Toppmöller. The greatest competition in the squad is currently in the position behind the top. With Jesper Lindstrom, Jens Petter Hauge, Jessic Ngankam, Paxten Aaronson and Marmoush, there are plenty of opportunities for the coach to fill the post. In Leipzig, Lindstrom started as a hanging striker before switching to the left in attack in the second half and doing a bit better. But he is far from being in top form.
And whether he will show them again in Frankfurt is uncertain because the 23-year-old Dane could still change employers. If a club knocks at Eintracht with the economic power for a transfer fee befitting its status and if it also meets Lindström’s expectations in terms of sport and finance, a transfer could be made. Striker Igor Matanović, on the other hand, will probably lend Eintracht to Karlsruher SC.
A player who has not lived up to expectations in the past, meanwhile, could become the man of the future in Frankfurt – Jens Petter Hauge is on the rise with great zeal and ambition. On the one hand in training, where he keeps his concentration high and determines the game. And as a substitute in Leipzig, the offensive player was able to advertise a starting place in the team against Darmstadt on his own behalf. Hauge played happily and was involved in four goals. The 23-year-old Norwegian was only denied a personal goal.
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His loan to Gent (29 games, zero goals) in Belgium was not crowned with success. But before his return to Frankfurt, Hauge realized that he could only face the competition at a Bundesliga club if he was in a new and different shape. The offensive all-rounder lost eight kilos in the summer and worked meticulously on his fitness with specialist staff. Now he’s in a much better position to pass his opponents on the pitch. And in the fight for places in the Eintracht team, the Hauge also advances.
