Eintracht Frankfurt presents the Europa League trophy at the start of training
Dhe friendly stewards are full of anticipation. “It’s a long way back there,” says one on this Tuesday morning. A good three-quarters of an hour until the official start of Eintracht training – and fans keep coming to the Frankfurt stadium. A queue of a good 100 meters has formed in front of a particularly important white tent.
Photocall with the Europa League trophy. Everyone wants to touch the trophy Eintracht won against Glasgow Rangers on that magical May evening in Seville. Someone may also wish Mario Götze to be very close. Many of the approximately 1,000 visitors also came because of him. Ultimately, however, it is the team that is in the spotlight and, for the first time since the outbreak of the Corona crisis more than two years ago, is presenting itself to its supporters as an exercise.
Götze and Alario there
Time for the new unity. Time for the European Cup winners, who have already signed eight new players to meet the varied demands of three competitions. Götze is one of them. Lucas Alario, who introduces himself splendidly in the group of new playmates and scores the first goal in the training game, is also one of them. Randal Kolo Muani, the elegant striker who came to Frankfurt from Nantes, is perceived by the fans as a further addition at the latest when the 23-year-old Frenchman with Congolese roots also scores a nice goal in the eleven-a-side game.
22 field players, including some youngsters from the Riederwald talent pool, as well as three goalkeepers – by no means all are there at the start who are expected later when things get serious, when the competitive games in the cup, in the Bundesliga and in the Supercup call. Ten national players, most recently engaged with their national teams, are still allowed to indulge in idleness on vacation. Whether everyone will really find their way back to Frankfurt is open due to possible transfers.
Someone who pays close attention to what the professionals are doing is doing it for professional reasons. Markus Krösche is the one who brought some of the players to Frankfurt and made a move to Eintracht tempting for them. Trainer takes care of their further development at the Frankfurt Bundesliga location, which has become more interesting Oliver Glasner with his many helpers.
The club’s own TV broadcasts the first practice session of the new season live. Anyone who is actually there live at the Arena in the Stadtwald will get more intensive, closer insights. He hears, sees and feels how the team is supported and cheered on during their running laps, for example. “Mario, Mario” is just as much a part as “Oli, Oli”. Sports director Krösche hears it with pleasure.
Finally basic work again, finally direct contact with the fans again, who have invested a lot in the past two Corona years to support Eintracht. The sporting goal – Krösche confirms it this Tuesday under a white-blue sky that shows over Frankfurt. “We want to play for the European Cup places in the Bundesliga,” says the manager. In concrete terms, this means that it should already be sixth place in the final billing. Krösche himself says: “We have ambitious goals.” And a whole bunch of new players. Together with the acquaintances and the established Glasner works on the right team mix.
