When the team handles the ball as playfully on Saturday as their coach handles words on Friday, then the Bundesliga game between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) will have a high entertainment value . Oliver Glasner gave a groundbreaking answer to the question of how he intends to eliminate the new Wolfsburg offensive player Max Kruse: “Actually, I didn’t want to say it, but we’re organizing a poker tournament and we hope Kruse will be there.”
In doing so, he didn’t want to poke fun at the former international’s passion for cards, but rather at the constant demand for special measures he could come up with against the opposing team’s best attacker. After the stereotypical reply that the opponent’s goalscorer had to be defended collectively, which he had rattled off at Lewandowski and Bayern, Haaland and Dortmund, Schick and Leverkusen, Kalajdzic and Stuttgart, Modeste and Cologne and on other occasions, Glasner came up with something else.
Dont get distracted
And the Austrian surprised a second time that day when he gave a detailed description of Wolfsburg’s strengths – without being asked. The question was asked in a completely different direction, namely what would be the most important thing in order to take advantage of the opportunity to qualify for a European competition, which has increased again. Glasner’s reply: “Not to deal with this question.”
Because there would be a risk of forgetting the sporting content and then he listed what was important against VfL Wolfsburg: finding answers, “when Maxi Arnold takes over the game and cleverly shifts the sides, how we use their attacks from the 3-4-3, how we can stop the fast wingers and how we can pose problems for the defensive with an average height of 1.91 meters – with high, long balls and header duels it will be rather difficult for our top players Borré and Lindström will. If it works, the results will come and we’ll see what comes of it. But thinking about fourth place doesn’t help.”
Glasner was in a good mood on Friday – as it is called in modern German. Which may have been due to a “very positive training week”. “There was a lot of punch and tension in training, so many lost a bit because of the win against Stuttgart. A few rucksacks are gone.” Important players, Daichi Kamada and Filip Kostic, also returned to the team, so the coach can count on all the players for the task against Wolfsburg. Except for Ragnar Ache, whose thigh muscles are on strike, and Makoto Hasebe, who was knocked out by Kevin Trapp.
Martin Hinteregger can stand his ground again against Wolfsburg.
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Bild: nordphoto GmbH / Bratic
The 38-year-old Japanese is busy again after the serious collision with his goalkeeper in the match in Stuttgart. “Makoto is back on his bike with us, I think he’s too bored at home,” joked Glasner. The Austrian left no doubt 26 hours before kick-off that Hasebe will be replaced by his compatriot Martin Hinteregger against Lower Saxony. “Martin will play, definitely. After Makoto’s retirement, I didn’t think twice, Martin has my complete trust.”
Extra apologies for Hinteregger
Most recently, the Frankfurt cult defender had lost his regular place. On the one hand because of mixed performances, on the other hand because Hasebe improves the playful balance of the team. Glasner took the opportunity on Friday to defend Hinteregger a bit for his slack. “He also had several minor injuries that handicapped him, but he still continued to serve the team.”
On the offensive, Glasner committed to a Kostic comeback, although the Serb is not at 100 percent of his capacity. “Filip can’t do that either, he’s only had eight or nine training days in the past six weeks. But his 80 percent does us a lot of good because he has qualities that are very, very important to us.”
The Eintracht coach left it open whether Kostic would appear in his classic Frankfurt role as a left winger or as a left half-striker behind Borré forward, which would take some of the defensive work off the not-so-trained professional. “We have different thoughts, but I won’t reveal them,” said Glasner. In any case, he expects a thrilling game, “because there is also a spirit of optimism in Wolfsburg after the win against Greuther Fürth.”
