A little over two weeks ago, Dino Toppmöller was relieved of his duties at Eintracht Frankfurt. The duo Dennis Schmitt and Alexander Meier took over on an interim basis, but didn’t get a single point from four games.
With Albert Riera, the Eagles are now hoping for improvement. The Bundesliga club transferred 800,000 euros to NK Celje for the Spaniard; success-related bonuses can increase the transfer fee to up to 1.3 million euros. The fact is: a lot of work awaits the new man on the sidelines.
“Arrogant & complicated”: Harsh judgments about Riera
Riera with a clear philosophy
Riera approaches the big task with both self-confidence and clear demands on his team: “My players will follow me, there are no alternatives. I am very positive. We have to change our perspective – away from ‘darkness and guilt’ and towards solutions.”
At the beginning, what matters most to Riera is the basics, as he makes clear: “At the moment I’m concentrating on how we play. We have to show our performance from game to game. My focus now is not on the result, but primarily on the way we perform and what we can change.”
The changes mentioned above must be made particularly in defense. With 45 goals conceded from 20 games, Eintracht has the most vulnerable defense in the Bundesliga. However, the offensively oriented trainer refrains from playing defensively: “The first defender is the striker. We won’t play wait-and-see, but will be very aggressive in the game without the ball.”
Strict crackdown
The 43-year-old doesn’t shy away from unconventional methods. “I implement rules for everyone. First: We are people first – and then people in our profession – we respect each other in the dressing room. Second: The way you train is how you play. Third: Ask the magic question: What can you give the team with and without the ball?”Riera clarifies.
If a player does not follow any of the rules, this will result in a penalty. The person concerned has to pay a fine as well as spin a wheel with punishments. Possible sanctions: cleaning a teammate’s football boots or assisting a staff member at work.
Difficult start
The first test for the new coach is on Friday evening (8:30 p.m.). Then the SGE will be a guest at the Alte Försterei at Union Berlin. A thankless task at the start, but for a guy like Riera such a challenge could be just the thing.
Worth a look
