2023-11-14 16:02:00
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In a good mood: sports director Markus Krösche. © IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel
Eintracht sports director Markus Krösche wants to keep the team together and “play a good role in the top third” this season.
Frankfurt am Main – It’s almost certain that Hrvoje Smolcic didn’t know that he made Eintracht history on Sunday evening in Bremen’s Weserstadion. Where from? But the fact is: with his equalizer to make it 2-2, the first goal the Croatian defender ever scored in a league game for Frankfurt, he made his parent club (and himself) the record holder in the German premium class, as the 23rd -Year-old is the 281st Eintracht player in the 60-year history of the Bundesliga to score in the opponent’s box. No other club has so many different goalscorers, not even FC Schalke 04, which was ahead for a long time and has now finally been dethroned
Of course, this is just a petitesse, a little statistical gimmick on the side, not worth mentioning. When looking at the overall situation of the season so far, completely different facts and developments count. That’s a good keyword. It is quite obvious that the Eintracht from the start of the season no longer has much in common with the Eintracht following 19 match days. There is a different team on the pitch, one that is self-confident, strong, that pursues an idea and plays football with a clear vision. And someone who doesn’t let adversity throw her off course and doesn’t lose faith in her own strength. Not following setbacks like a 2-0 defeat in Bremen, which somehow fell out of the blue within a few minutes. The team continued to play undeterred and finally rewarded themselves with the 2-2 equalizer.
Markus Krösche sets season goal for Eintracht Frankfurt
That clearly speaks for the morale and mentality of the team. The fact that the sporting management is still not satisfied with the result underlines the club’s claims. Sports director Markus Krösche was annoyed regarding the draw despite the small comeback. “Overall we lost two points.”
In 19 competitive games, Eintracht only left the field as losers twice, they have won ten games, they have been undefeated in eight games, are in the third round of the DFB Cup, have secured an early winter in the Conference League and in the Bundesliga seventh place consolidated. It is within striking distance of the international ranks.
But Krösche doesn’t build up any additional pressure. The focus this season should clearly be on development. There’s no question that he has the ambition to play regularly internationally with Eintracht, but “I’m not running forward this year and saying: 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 stay together for “two, three, four years”.
And then, in the next step, build a team that is always able to attack the European places. That’s exactly why there shouldn’t be such major upheavals in the line-up – unlike this year, “a good time” for it, as Krösche thinks. Because the team should be rejuvenated and refreshed. And one should not forget that players like Kolo Muani, Lindström, Kamada, Ndicka and Sow “have their own career plans” and wanted to change. “That’s normal in football.”
In the near future, however, the team should stay together for the time being, “we want to keep the team together for two, three, four years and plan to get continuity in the squad.”
Krösche was clear that the changes in the squad and in the coaching bench would not take effect immediately. “We knew that it would take longer to find each other at the beginning,” he summed up. But even at the start of the season, when things were rumbling and stalling, 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 pitch – all of this made the sports director optimistic that the direction he was taking was right. “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 wasn’t just the case with Toppmöller, it also took Oliver Glasner’s team regarding the same amount of time to be able to implement the coach’s ideas. “This time,” says Krösche, “it went a little faster. Of course we’re happy regarding that.”
Krösche praises Eintracht coach Toppmöller: “A man of conviction”
The sports boss is honestly impressed by Toppmöller’s work. The football teacher is a “convictionist” who “always has the bigger picture” in mind and reacts to what he sees. And he doesn’t pay any attention to names, he follows his path consistently. “He is very clear, has rules and principles,” emphasizes Krösche. “This creates a performance culture and willingness to perform. He’s good for us.”
The sports director can feel confirmed that he made the decision in May to part ways with Oliver Glasner early. “We have achieved something extraordinary that will always connect us,” says Krösche, referring to the epochal Europa League win. But at that time he came to the conclusion that a new path had to be taken. “I’m happy that it’s working and we’ve made a lot of the right decisions.”
But he doesn’t feel any satisfaction, even though the manager didn’t gain any sympathy points from the general public when he first announced the coaching separation and then later lost star striker Randal Kolo Muani on the last day of the transfer period without being able to sign a replacement. “I cannot take into account what people say, I have to make decisions that may not seem understandable or are unpopular.” As the person in charge, he cannot have the goal of “being loved by everyone or making decisions that suit everyone fallen.”
In any case, the sports director will strengthen the team once more in the winter, not only in attack, but also in midfield and defense. And something might also happen on the tax side: dissatisfied players like Lucas Alario or Kristijan Jakic are potential candidates, and Jens Petter Hauge is also under scrutiny.
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