With his first goal for Eintracht, Tuta saved the 1-1 against Leipzig. Coach Oliver Glasner now sees the defender as a symbolic figure in a development.
Tuta was still part of the starting line-up in the cup defeat in Mannheim (0:2). After that, however, the 22-year-old Brazilian had to endure a long period of suffering. Coach Oliver Glasner repeatedly stated that he would not drop the young defender. But the discovery of the previous season had to wait almost half an eternity for his second chance under the new coach.
In each of the first three Bundesliga games Tuta languished on the bench for 90 minutes, and from matchday four to six he was not even part of the squad. Tuta only returned when Glasner relied on a three-man backline for the first time in the league on matchday 7. Since then, he has been allowed to start in four of five matches (including the Europa League win against Piraeus).
Cheered and self-critical: “I’m partly to blame for the 0:1”
With the last-minute goal for the 1:1 against RB Leipzigthere followed a very special highlight for the youngster last Saturday: his first goal ever for Eintracht, and an immensely important one at that. “I’m very happy about that, it was a very good time,” Tuta said afterwards. At the same time, however, he admitted self-critically: “I also have my shares in the 0:1. I’m definitely partly to blame for that.”
Poulsen scored after a Leipzig corner kick, “the space we didn’t cover well was partly mine,” Tuta said. In general, the defensive man appeared remarkably detached again shortly after what was perhaps his most emotional moment on the pitch to date. In retrospect, he chalks up the weeks in which he was left out as a “very difficult, but also very instructive time”. Contrary to what outside observers had assumed, he was not frustrated at all, he makes clear: “The coach always stood by me, he built me up in the daily training work.
“It’s very nice that players stick with it and are rewarded “
Well done to anyone who, as a football coach, can credibly convey such backing to his professionals, even though he does not take them into account on match days for an extended period of time. Glasner has apparently managed this feat in Tuta’s case. Now he sees the defender as another prime example of a player who has fought his way back from a low point, similar to attacker Goncalo Pacienica before him: “It’s a continuation of the story. Many players go through such lows. Tuta, too, has always stuck with it. He had only played for half a year before, so the consistency is not there yet. But it’s very nice that the players stick with it, keep up and then get rewarded.” This is a development that others can certainly follow. With Tuta as a shining example.
