In the entire first half of the season, Eintracht only conceded 20 goals, in the second half of the season they scored 27 times in 15 games. This is also related to the frequent gross individual errors. In the 1:5 against Leverkusen, Niels Nkounkou took things to the extreme.
Frankfurt’s Niels Nkounkou (right) had a bad day. IMAGO/Jan Huebner
It was a colossal blackout that led Niels Nkounkou in the home game against Leverkusen, with the score 1:2, to pull Nathan Tella’s jersey as he ran away from the goal. An action without rhyme or reason. The subsequent penalty to make it 1:3 decided the game. It was fitting that substitute Ansgar Knauff caused another penalty with a botched foul shortly before the end. Tuta’s sleepiness before the 1:2 was also a nuisance.
The series of mistakes began in Darmstadt
“It’s no secret when I say that this drives me crazy and really annoys us all. But I’m not going to criticize one or the other player. That’s unfortunate, that’s bitter. We finally have to get out of these moments learn,” says trainer Dino Toppmöller. In particular, the penalty to make it 1-3 was “totally unnecessary”: “We got out of halftime well, had good activity and great support from outside. A lot would have been possible. But the key moments were against us. Leverkusen made these mistakes punished coldly.” The coach has to be blamed for not replacing Nkounkou, who was overwhelmed in the first half, at half-time.
It is unclear why the team has major individual failures almost every week. It started on the 18th matchday in Darmstadt (2:2), where the Hessians lost a 2-0 win due to mistakes from Kevin Trapp and especially Tuta. On matchday 20 in Cologne (0:2) Nkounkou and Tuta were sent off the pitch, and Hrvoje Smolcic also played a hair-raising bad pass before conceding the second goal. In the Conference League, Ellyes Skhiri brought Belgian opponents Union Saint-Gilloise back into the game after a 2-2 draw in the first leg with a catastrophic loss of the ball in their own box – the beginning of the end in this competition. A few days later there was a penalty goal conceded in Freiburg (3:3) because the ball was lost during the build-up in their own penalty area.
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In the 3-0 defeat in Stuttgart, Nkounkou put his defensive colleague Robin Koch in trouble with a risky throw-in before the second goal was conceded. Instead of knocking the ball away, the Frankfurt defense boss lost it to goalscorer Deniz Undav. Against Augsburg (3:1), the 0:1 result was caused by a careless loss of the ball by Philipp Max, which was previously not played well by Willian Pacho. In Munich the score was 0-1 after a hair-raising bad pass by Pacho, and the Hessians conceded the penalty to make it 1-2 due to an ass from Robin Koch.
Already conceded eight goals from penalties
Conclusion: Anyone who allows themselves so many blatant individual failures will never be able to start a successful streak. The only question is: why is that? In the first half of the season, defensive stability was the key to the good points tally (27 points). The program was demanding: the Hessians had played 27 competitive games by Christmas, more than any other Bundesliga team. After being eliminated from the DFB Cup and the Conference League, one would have expected that the mistakes would be further minimized given the greater physical and mental freshness. The opposite is the case.
Frankfurt have already conceded eight goals from penalties this Bundesliga season. This is the top value in the league with Bochum and also means that the club’s negative record has been set. In total, the SGE has already caused ten penalties, which is the highest number along with Augsburg, Bochum and Heidenheim. Knauff alone has already committed three penalties. For comparison: In the entire previous season only two penalties were whistled against the SGE. By the way, the Hessians were only awarded two penalties (one goal), which is the lowest in the league. Another annoyance: Only Union Berlin (7) received more dismissals than Frankfurt (5).
Krösche has to find answers
But how can these many gross errors be explained? Is it due to a lack of self-confidence? On the class of individual players? To coach Dino Toppmöller, who still hasn’t given the team a clear signature? Does this cause some professionals to think too much on the pitch? Are the young players in particular lacking the support of leading players? Where are they, the leaders anyway? Above all, sports director Markus Krösche must find an answer to these questions when he analyzes the old season and plans the new one.
Especially in the full-back position, it probably doesn’t help that there are so many changes. Philipp Max will probably play again in Gladbach instead of Nkounkou. Max is having a mixed season, but is a rock-solid Bundesliga player. This raises the question: Would his performance perhaps be more consistent if Toppmöller would put his trust in him over the long term? How is the players supposed to develop self-confidence when there are so many changes? Is Nkounkou even a suitable left-back or does he not have his strengths more in forward play and needs protection behind him?
Tuta and Aurelio Buta alternate on the right in the back four, but here too both lack consistency. A new right-back at a higher Bundesliga level would be a good fit for the team. There is an urgent need for action in the coming transfer window – and not just in this position.
2024-05-07 10:59:49
#Individual #mistakes #sending #offs #penalties #Frankfurt #loses #stability
