2023-04-17 19:36:34
Frankfurt Eintracht is on the best way to once once more gamble away a strong first half of the season. It seems as if the DFB Cup would have to save it. But history does not repeat itself at random.
(DPA). Tennis professional Yannick Hanfmann reached the round of 16 at the ATP tournament in Munich. The 31-year-old from Karlsruhe won 6:7 (3:7), 7:6 (7:5), 6:2 once morest Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in a long-fought game on Monday. In addition to Hanfmann, there are six other German tennis professionals in the main field of the Munich tournament. Olympic champion Alexander Zverev will intervene on Wednesday.
Tamara Korpatsch, however, was eliminated in the first round of the high-class WTA tournament in Stuttgart. The world number 106. from Hamburg lost the duel of the qualifiers with the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6:3, 4:6, 0:6. Thanks to a wild card, Jule Niemeier (Dortmund) and Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) are also in the main draw of the $780,637 clay court tournament.
(DPA). World record holder Eliud Kipchoge missed the next prestigious marathon victory at the classic in Boston. The 38-year-old Kenyan had to be satisfied with sixth place on his debut on Monday. Evans Chebet from Kenya clinched victory for the second time in the rain.
Last year’s winner prevailed once more in an unofficial 2:05:54 hours and set the third fastest time ever at the 127th edition.
Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto and Gabriel Geay outperformed Kipchoge with regarding ten kilometers to go, where the route climbs the infamous Heartbreak Hill. Second, ten seconds behind the winner, was Geay from Tanzania, while third went to Kipruto from Kenya, two seconds behind him.
Eintracht Frankfurt has blossomed into a club in recent years that can initiate a targeted fixation and mobilize forces that actually do not exist. This focus on all-or-nothing games is an internally grown phenomenon that has led to multiple domestic and European semi-final appearances, a cup win over Bayern, a historic moment at Barcelona and the historic European triumph of Sevilla. It is also true that the inner unity has long since crumbled and Eintracht Frankfurt seems more heterogeneous than homogeneous these days and has been in crisis mode for weeks. And in the Bundesliga it’s pretty much gone, only eleven points in eleven games. The next burglary.
Eintracht is familiar with this, it feels like it regularly sags following the winter break and gambles away what it has previously worked hard to build. The »second half of the season of shame« reigns supreme, when the team was actually passed through to the second division following seventh place in the first half. 2011 was that.
It wasn’t that bad last year, but the team slipped there too – from sixth to eleventh, 15th place in the second half of the table – of course accepted and concealed by the big European Cup triumph in Andalusia. At some point, the priorities were set differently. Understandable.
But if you delve a little deeper into the matter, you will find that the thesis that the second half of the season always drops significantly cannot be fully maintained. Since being rescued in the relegation once morest 1. FC Nürnberg in 2016, the team has only lost as much as last year in games 18 to 34: in 2017, following sixth place in the preliminary round (29 points), they only scored 13 points, no other team was worse. In the end there was eleventh place – but the entry into the DFB Cup final.
Weaker in the final sprint
Twice there were no significant differences between the semi-rounds (2017/18 first 26 points, then 24), (2018/19 twice 27 points). The performance of the first series was significantly surpassed twice, in 2019/20 there were 27 points following the winter break and 18 before that (ninth place). The whole thing was nevertheless clouded over by the corona errors with restart and ghost games. And in 2020/21, Eintracht caught up following the break, following 27 points, coach Adi Hütter’s team got 33 points and ended the season with the best number of points in decades (60) in fifth place. That was the only way to win the European Cup a year later.
And yet it cannot be denied that Eintracht often gets weaker and weaker when the league is in the final sprint. In 2017/18, following 27 match days, she was fourth in the Champions League with 45 points, but only scored four points in the remaining eight games and slipped down to eighth place – of course, whitewashed by the cup win once morest Bayern.
In 2018/19, the ensemble was also in the running, following 28 match days in fourth place with 52 points. There should only be two more, the international hardships (dramatic semi-final penalty shoot-out in London at Chelsea) were too great. And in 2020/21, Frankfurt lost the Champions League and eight points ahead of Borussia Dortmund in the last few weeks. It was the time when the complete sports management around Coach Hütter, sports director Fredi Bobic and manager Bruno Hübner went aboard. Too much turbulence. So it is very likely that Eintracht ran out of breath in the end, at least in the Bundesliga. But what are the reasons? It is certainly the case that only absolute top teams can balance their level of performance in such a way that they can play at a similarly high level in all competitions. Added to this is the currently dormant, unresolved dispute between the bosses. It’s poison, even if it doesn’t have a direct impact on the sport.
When looking for reasons for crashes, playstyle should also be taken into account. It was particularly intense with Niko Kovac and Adi Hütter, the players were often exhausted – mentally and physically, they might only pull themselves together for highlight games. It is interesting in this context that Eintracht saw themselves better positioned there this season, with Mario Götze and Daichi Kamada the game should no longer be so extremely complex and only designed for power. And in autumn they came very close to the ideal situation, there was a perfect mix of speed on the flanks and in the attack as well as creativity and playing strength in the center.
Kolo Muani, the one man goal machine
But little of that remains, actually only Randal Kolo Muani, the one-man goal machine. That depends, quite banally, on personnel changes: Eric Dina Ebimbe and Jesper Lindström have lost two important pillars, both fast players, and Daichi Kamada is no longer the Daichi Kamada from the old year. Mario Götze is also struggling with himself, and Ansgar Knauff hardly plays a role anymore. After all, the Jokers recently pushed into the team, Ebimbe is back, and Lindström may already be expected in the cup semi-finals in Stuttgart on May 3rd. Berlin is close, a smearing in the league might be repaired there. But does it always work?
(DPA). National team captain Dennis Schröder has a good feeling following the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA playoffs once morest the Memphis Grizzlies. LeBron James and Anthony Davis would always score anyway, “if we have two or three people who play well, plus the two superstars, then we’re on the right track,” said the 29-year-old basketball player from Braunschweig the 128:112 on Sunday (local time). The Lakers lead 1-0 in the best-of-seven series and need three more wins to advance to the second round.
“This is a very young team that plays every game very hard and goes regarding it with confidence. Yes, Morant, Jaren Jackson and (Desmond) Bane are the three heads of the snake, I would say,” said Schröder. »You can always see exactly following the first game and make a game plan of how you want to play once morest them. I think we have a pretty good picture there.«
Schröder had three fouls early in the first game once morest the Grizzlies and only 20 minutes of play – less than usual. “The three fouls really annoyed me a bit. We won, that’s the most important thing for me. Many others had the chance and also played very, very well. Of course I’m happy.« Schröder ended the game with seven points, four assists and a rebound.
Meanwhile, in what was expected to be a tight playoff series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers gained an early advantage. Led by Kawhi Leonard with 38 points, the team in Phoenix went 115-110 once morest the team of stars Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker. It was Durant’s first loss in the Suns jersey since his February transfer.
In addition to Leonard, the often criticized Russell Westbrook was conspicuous for the Clippers. Although he only hit three of his 19 throws, he made two important free throws and played a key role in his team’s important away win with defensive actions. “Whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it,” Westbrook said.
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