There have been enough alarm signals, now there is a fire in Frankfurt. The fans have fallen silent, the players are unsettled, the coach is ailing. The question looms over everything: What does unity stand for?
Audio contribution
Audio
00:51 Min.
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22.02.24
Eintracht is eliminated from the European Cup
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This one sentence from Kevin Trapp after Eintracht’s elimination summed up Frankfurt’s entire mood. “You can hear it in the silence,” said the keeper on RTL immediately after the game. Silence rarely sounds deafening, but on this evening it was, of all places in the otherwise seething Waldstadion. Just two weeks ago the spectators were whistling their frustration at the performance against VfL Bochum, now in the end there was apathy and disbelief – and that’s much worse, especially in Frankfurt. There is no other way to put it: Eintracht has played silently with its most loyal players.
Goalkeeper Trapp has the comparable values in his memory when Eintracht loudly stormed into the heart of Europe. Accordingly, his eyes seemed glassy, his colleague Sebastian Rode shed bitter tears in the certainty that he would never experience the European Cup on the pitch again. Ansgar Knauff also looked completely knocked out in the close-up. As European Cup winners, all three of them experienced what nights in Hesse under floodlights mean – many of their teammates don’t seem to have internalized this feeling.
The lethargy is not new
The force of this stadium could knock the opponent off their feet, sports director Timmo Hardung said in the club’s own podcast. But against Union St. Gilloise the opposite happened; the Belgians were not only well-soled, they were given every freedom to dance. In the middle of the first half, the guests attacked on the left side and passed the ball twice with their heel behind the supporting leg. They ran through the defense similarly unmolested in the second half, Aurelio Buta saved once, but Frankfurt’s guarding was punished at 0-1.
It would have taken a “Not like that!” action from a Frankfurt player in the first round to get the Belgians out of their flow or to wake up the team itself. A Zambrano push, a diving tackle from Rode, a Piraeus volley from Glasner – whatever. Robin Koch’s last-second monster attack in the second half had the potential to ignite, but it burned out immediately. The lethargy seemed too great and none of those involved could explain it afterwards. It was by no means a new phenomenon.
Who leads the boys?
Eintracht lost against three regional league teams this season, and one could only argue in test matches if these appearances had not been the prelude to the embarrassing cup defeat at the third division team Saarbrücken. Eintracht lost in a dull performance against Saloniki in the group stage, which only forced them into the intermediate game against Union St. Gilloise. Eintracht allowed itself to be boiled by a limited FC Köln under floodlights. One could even say that Eintracht completely ruined last year’s second half of the season and only managed to get into that Conference League at the last second.
Analyse
No energy, no fire, no European Cup spirit at Eintracht
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There would have been plenty of warning signals, the fans’ dissatisfaction with Bochum did not indicate that their expectations were too high for the top class, but rather that they were confused about the style of play. There was still a whistle in the Waldstadion. The soothing references made by those responsible about the upheaval may be justified, but they probably fall short. In an almost completely renewed team, experienced people like Ellyes Skhiri and Mario Götze are not loudspeakers, Kevin Trapp has recently been struggling with himself, Sebastian Rode with injuries. Robin Koch and Omar Marmoush have only been there since the summer. Who is directing the boys or putting sticks in the opponent’s spokes?
Discussions on Toppmöller are increasing
That question seems almost as pressing as this one: What does the game of unity stand for? Coach Dino Toppmöller taught the players more ball control at a record pace, but this seems to evaporate with every failed build-up. On Thursday, the Frankfurt team tried to outplay the Belgians’ pressing with long balls – mostly into nowhere. It is precisely this pressing of the opponent that has been part of the Eintracht trademark for years, with which the team not only won balls but also self-confidence.
Video post
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08:06 Min.
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23.02.24
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The complete Eintracht press conference after the elimination
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The confusion about the approach was symbolized by Mario Götze against Bochum when, within minutes, he first acted as a sort of libero and then as the first attacker up front. On Thursday, the players never advanced as one. This inevitably leads to criticism of Toppmöller, whose future was first asked in the catacombs. Board member Markus Krösche consciously stood in front of the coach. But the pressure is growing on the coach. At the beginning of his term in office, Toppmöller promised based on a fan banner: “Frankfurt makes trouble!” There’s not much to see of it, just in a modified form: “Frankfurt has trouble!”