His first months in Frankfurt were quite mixed. Nevertheless, Niels Nkounkou has already proven himself to be enormously valuable: he has seven points in the league.
A lot of feeling in his left foot: Niels Nkounkou in the 1-0 win in Leipzig. IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Niels Nkounkou has a soft spot for the particularly important moments. The last-minute transfer from last summer was on the pitch for 14 minutes on his debut on matchday 3 against 1. FC Köln (1-1) when, in the best Filip Kostic style, he moved into the box on the left and the The ball sank precisely into the goal.
“It was my first game, we were behind, my family was in the stadium. I will never forget the moment,” said the Frenchman, looking back on Tuesday after the morning training session. Curious: He didn’t even know his prominent predecessor on the left at that time.
No comparison with Kostic
That changed about four and a half months later. Anyone who plays in Frankfurt can’t avoid the name Kostic. “I now know who he is,” said Nkounkou. But he doesn’t want to compare: “We are two different players. He had a good time here, I’m focusing on my performance,” the interpreter translated the French words.
The perfect debut naturally raised enormous expectations, which the 23-year-old could hardly live up to. Externally, mind you. Sports director Markus Krösche and his colleagues at the club were clear in advance that the fast left winger would need time after the long transfer poker could only be completed on the home straight on September 1st.
The reasons are obvious: a new league, a new country and no preparation for the season – as a small selection. From then on, Nkounkou shuttled between the starting eleven and the bench and had particular difficulties when moving backwards.
Communication in French and English
“I first had to get used to the intensity of the game in the Bundesliga. It’s significantly higher than last year in France,” he says. There he played for AS St. Etienne in Ligue 2. “In the Bundesliga you are very challenged, especially in the technical area, so I needed time to get used to it. I now understand more and more what the coach is asking of me.”
There is no language barrier between Dino Toppmöller and his protégé. Sometimes they talk in French, sometimes in English. The sporting topics? “I know that I have my strengths in the offensive area and that I still have to work on me with the coaches in the defensive area,” said Nkounkou.
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Shortly before Christmas came another particularly important moment. Twelve minutes of playing time were enough for him to turn the game against Mönchengladbach on its head with two assists. It was “only” three points, but the 2-1 win over Borussia saved the mood in Frankfurt in time for the holidays after previously difficult weeks.
Trapp raves about the flank
The short winter break hasn’t taken away any of his momentum. Filip Kostic should also take his hat off to the sensational preparatory work for Ansgar Knauff’s winning goal to make it 1-0 in Leipzig; the champions couldn’t have done it better. “Niels’ cross was unbelievable,” enthused Kevin Trapp.
“I have never managed a template like that before,” admits the left-winger himself. It was points five, six and seven in the league that Nkounkou secured with his class.
“I try not to think too much on the pitch. I play the way I feel the game. There are some moments where I act on instinct, others where I make conscious decisions,” says Nkounkou himself about his playing style. In his second half of the year at Eintracht, the U-21 international will be required to work on his consistency and defensive skills in order to stay ahead of Philipp Max and be a regular starter.
Max and the Conference League? It’s getting tight again
In the Europa Conference League, his performances could be a little more important due to the lack of a one-on-one alternative. Max was not registered for the preliminary round for performance reasons. It is far from certain that the 30-year-old, who has since stabilized to some extent, will be nominated for the knockout round games.
The UEFA regulations say that “a maximum of three new players eligible to play” can be registered by the deadline on February 2nd. One place will almost certainly go to Sasa Kalajdzic, another to Donny van de Beek. And then there is striker X, who Krösche wants to present in the eagle jersey as soon as possible.
By the way, Kalajdzic had to stop training on Tuesday after around 30 minutes. The all-clear was then given: A slight bruise on the foot, the mission in Darmstadt on Saturday (3:30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) was not at risk. It is still suboptimal. Given the lack of match practice, the new signing needs every minute he can collect in training and games with his new teammates.
2024-01-16 15:25:15
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