At the press conference before the home game against RB Leipzig, Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner stood demonstratively in front of his players, emphasising all sorts of self-evident things, but did not want to explain what came out of his “root cause analysis” after the defeat in Bochum.
The last time Eintracht had such a difficult start to a season – in terms of points – Friedhelm Funkel was still on the coaching bench. That was in the 2005/06 season, when the Hessians were promoted to ninth place after the ninth matchday, with seven points and in 16th place. The fact that they have to go back so far illustrates the seriousness of the situation. So far, however, those responsible around coach Oliver Glasner and sporting director Markus Krösche have shied away from declaring a relegation battle.
“We’re all pulling our hair out, including the players. “
OLIVER GLASNER
More to the point, Glasner was conspicuously protective of his players at Thursday’s press conference. In doing so, he emphasised things that are self-evident, such as: “I stand by 100 per cent that the players give everything in every game.” He was far from blaming the professionals. That sounded quite different recently, just remember the memorable press conference after the home defeat against Hertha BSC. Now Glasner explained: “We are all pulling our hair out, including the players. The boys don’t go back from Bochum easy cheesy and having a great time. They’re just as concerned about it. I put my hand in the fire that these are really good guys who give everything for Eintracht’s success.” That, too, should be a matter of course in high-paying professional football that needs no special emphasis.
“The boys sometimes want too much “
What exactly came out of his “root cause analysis” with the team, Glasner would not reveal. “It was a somewhat lengthy discussion, and we’ll keep it inside,” he said succinctly. However, he did then elaborate on one aspect. “The boys sometimes want too much. Kristijan Jakic is left front, right back, goes into a header duel for the centre-back, he suddenly wants to do everything. But in the process, his core task perhaps falls by the wayside a bit,” the coach complained. He spoke of confusion in the game, which is not a good sign, and stated: “We are forgetting our actual tasks. That’s not really a reassuring inventory at the end of October.
Nevertheless, it is of course quite possible that the team will find it easier to reach the performance limit again on Saturday against Leipzig. The Hessians are still unbeaten at home against RB, and the underdog role seems to suit them. “It’s obviously not entirely new that we find it a little easier against stronger teams,” agrees Glasner, who promptly assures: “The players don’t underestimate the other opponents. It’s more the case that they put a bit too much pressure on themselves in these games.” That may be, but it doesn’t explain Glasner’s explicit criticism of the poor tackling record in the game in Bochum.
