Split
Eintracht sporting director Markus Krösche wants to keep the team together and “play a good role in the top third” this season.
Frankfurt am Main – Hrvoje Smolcic almost certainly did not know that he made Eintracht history on Sunday afternoon at the Weserstadion in Bremen. Where from? But the fact is that with his 2-2 draw, the first goal the Croatian defender scored in a league match for Frankfurt, he made his parent club (and himself) the record holder in the premium category German, since the The 23-year-old is the 281st Eintracht player in the 60-year history of the Bundesliga to score in the rival area. No other club has so many different goalscorers, not even FC Schalke 04, who were ahead for a long time and have now finally been dethroned.
Of course, this is just a petitesse, a little extra statistical trick, not worth mentioning. When looking at the general situation of the season so far, they tell completely different facts and events. That’s a good keyword. It is quite obvious that Eintracht since the beginning of the season no longer has much in common with Eintracht after 19 matchdays. There is a different team on the pitch, one that is confident in itself, that is strong, that pursues an idea and plays football with a clear vision. And someone who doesn’t let adversity derail her and doesn’t lose faith in his own strength. Not after setbacks like the 2-0 defeat in Bremen, which somehow came out of nowhere within just a few minutes. The team continued playing undeterred and was finally rewarded with a 2-2 draw.
Markus Krösche sets the goal of the season for Eintracht Frankfurt
This clearly speaks to the team’s morale and mentality. The fact that the sports management is still not satisfied with the result underlines the club’s intentions. Sports director Markus Krösche was upset by the draw despite the small comeback. “In total we lost two points.”
In 19 official matches, Eintracht only left the field as losers twice, they have won ten matches, they are undefeated in eight matches, they are in the third round of the DFB Cup, they secured an early winter in the Conference League and in the Consolidated seventh place in the Bundesliga. It is within walking distance of the international lines.
But Krösche does not apply any additional pressure. This season the focus should clearly be on development. There is no doubt that he has ambitions to play regularly at international level for Eintracht, but “this year I am not going to run forward and say: that has to be our goal.” After all, the upheaval was enormous. “We want to play a good role in the top third,” he says.
The Eintracht team should remain together “two, three, four years.”
And then, in the next step, build a team that is always capable of attacking the European places. Precisely for this reason there should be no major changes to the lineup: unlike this year, “it’s a good time,” as Krösche believes. Because the team must be rejuvenated and refreshed. And we must not forget that players like Kolo Muani, Lindström, Kamada, Ndicka and Sow “have their own professional plans” and wanted to change. “That’s normal in football.”
In the near future, however, the team should remain together for the time being: “We want to keep the team together for two, three, four years and we plan to get continuity in the team.”
Krösche was clear that the changes in the squad and on the coaching bench would not become effective immediately. “We knew that at the beginning it would take longer to find each other,” he summarized. But even at the beginning of the season, when things were stagnant and rumbling, he “didn’t get nervous.” The interaction between coach and team, the meticulousness of coach Dino Toppmöller, his speech and also the structure and principles on the field: all this made the sports director optimistic that the direction he was taking was the right one. . “You have to give the coach time,” says the 43-year-old. A new trainer needs three or four months to implement his ideas. This was not only the case for Toppmöller, but Oliver Glasner’s team needed approximately the same time to implement the coach’s ideas. “This time,” says Krösche, “it was a little faster. Of course we are happy about that.”
Krösche praises Eintracht coach Toppmöller: “A man of convictions”
The sports boss is sincerely impressed by Toppmöller’s work. The football teacher is a “convictionist” who “always has the big picture in mind” and reacts to what he sees. And he doesn’t pay attention to the names, he follows his path with perseverance. “It’s very clear, he has rules and principles,” Krösche emphasizes. “This creates a culture of performance and a willingness to perform. “He is good for us.”
The sporting director can be sure that in May he made the decision to part ways early with Oliver Glasner. “We have achieved something extraordinary that will unite us forever,” says Krösche, referring to the historic Europa League victory. But at that moment he came to the conclusion that a new path had to be taken. “I’m happy that it’s working and that we made a lot of the right decisions.”
But he feels no satisfaction, despite the fact that the coach did not gain any sympathy points from the general public when he first announced his separation from the coach and then lost star striker Randal Kolo Muani on the last day of the transfer period without being capable of signing a replacement. “I can’t take into account what people say, I have to make decisions that may seem incomprehensible or unpopular.” As a person in charge, he cannot aim to “be loved by all or make decisions that suit all the fallen.” “.
In any case, the sports director will once again strengthen the team in winter, not only in attack, but also in midfield and defense. And on the fiscal side something could also happen: dissatisfied players like Lucas Alario or Kristijan Jakic are potential candidates, and Jens Petter Hauge is also under the microscope.