At Eintracht Frankfurt the “fatal passport” has returned | hessenschau.de

First game, first win: Eintracht Frankfurt impressed against Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the year, but also revealed potential for improvement. Djibril Sow plays a pass in the best Uwe-Bein way. The five-point analysis.

By Patrick Stricker

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Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt started the competitive year 2021 with a surprising home win. At 2: 1 (1: 1) against the best team from Leverkusen provided Amin Younes (22nd minute) and an own goal by Edmond Tapsoba (54th) for the fourth win of the season. Nobody’s Amiri had previously given the Werkself the advantage (10th).

1. Djibril Sows like Uwe Bein once did

If a template is at least as beautiful as the lens itself, then something special must have happened. This happened in the 22nd minute, when Djibril Sow played a textbook interface pass through Leverkusen’s central defense, serving the speedy Younes and thus allowing his first Bundesliga goal since February 2013. At the time, a breath from Uwe Bein tore through the Waldstadion, so “deadly” was Sows’ steep step toward his colleague.

In the 1990s, former professional Bein was considered the master of the “fatal passport”, and in January 2021 the Eintracht brand ambassador should still enjoy such a scene. It was not “fatal”, but it was striking later, Younes’s pass that led to the winning goal: diagonally over a distance of about 50 meters, passing the overwhelmed substitute defender of Leverkusen Mitchell Weiser, and precisely on his teammate Daichi Kamada, whose center forced Tapsoba to the goal at an own goal (54.). Rarely has the term “worked” as well in a win as it does in this 2: 1.

2. Suddenly harder to calculate

Stefan Ilsanker? Are you kidding? You’re serious when you say that. Rather than relying on his favorite clarifier, as is often the case, Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter ordered veteran Makoto Hasebe into the starting lineup. In the defensive midfield, the 36-year-old Japanese closed the gap left by Sebastian Rode with his yellow card penalty. The result: the Hessians acted with a determined and extremely experienced defensive bulwark, behind Hasebe, Martin Hinteregger, David Abraham and also Evan N’Dicka preparing against the offensive express of the Rhineland. Leverkusen’s otherwise strong players – on Saturday their qualities did not develop for long periods.

Overall, this game showed: The Frankfurters are not as easy to calculate right now as they were in other appearances this season. Against Werkself, strong Sow (Passquoute: 80 percent) and Younes (56 ball contacts) made the difference, not only playing passes for the gallery, but often ripping the action apart. Unlike a few months ago, Filip Kostic or Kamada are no longer solely responsible for creativity. The responsibility of searching and finding the way to the opposing goal is currently shared between several Eintracht shoulders.

3. There are still two flaws

If you are looking for potential for improvement in the appearance of the Hessen team, you will find what you are looking for in this game. Flaw number one: the initial phase. As in Stuttgart (2: 2) or Union Berlin (3: 3), Eintracht ran the risk of giving up control of the game against Leverkusen too soon. The tour by Amiris Zaubertor (10th) was well deserved, after all, Bayer had played almost three times as many passes as Eintracht (rate: 86 percent), plus a 75 percent duel rate. Statistics that Frankfurt was only controlled after.

Defect number two: exploitation of opportunities. Towards the end of the game, when Leverkusen’s team, safe for goals in general, made another move in their own game, Hesse’s tremors shouldn’t have been so exhausting if Hütter’s team had used at least one of their numerous possibilities in advance. Hasebe (21st), Younes (39th) and Erik Durm (43rd) could have scored in the first, Kamada (73rd) and Kostic (90th) in the second round, and sometimes they had to.

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4. Eintracht prepared for hot January

Without a doubt: a day of the Bundesliga that begins on January 2 is difficult to get used to. Many must have cleaned up empty champagne bottles and lead debris when the balls rolled back into the stadiums. For Eintracht Frankfurt, however, it was just the beginning of a grueling program that awaits the next few weeks. The game against Leverkusen was the first of seven in 28 days until the end of the month.

The good thing about this: The team seems to be equipped for this gigantic game plan. The 2: 1 against Leverkusen, the second win in a row, was once again a success of will and morale. In a week and a half, Eintracht will play Bayer 04 again, and then away from home in the second round match of the DFB Cup (Tuesday, January 12, 8:45 PM). Mainz (Saturday, 3:30 pm) and Schalke, Freiburg, Bielefeld and Hertha BSC wait in the league for the rest of the month. January has never been so innovative.

5. Interesting questions for front and front staff

Aside from sporting events, the Frankfurters’ short-term personnel policy was the main topic of conversation on Saturday. Not surprisingly, the transfer window has been open again since that day. Since Eintracht already made a sale with Bas Dost (Club Bruges), they should and want to replenish the attack as soon as possible. The hottest rumor: Joshua Zirkzee, 19-year-old talent from FC Bayern. “He is a very good young player, he has a lot of potential. It is exactly this profile we are looking for,” sports director Fredi Bobic said on Sky. (You can find the voices for the game here.)

But there is also a change in personnel on the defensive. After the Leverkusen kick, the captain and head of defense Abraham still has three games to go in the Eintracht outfit, then he leaves the team and returns home to Argentina. Tuta, among others, is available for his position in central defense; midfield engine Rode could take on the role of starting captain. In this regard, the following also applies: An exciting January is coming for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Broadcast: television for hours, home game! Bundesliga, 02/01/21, 11:35 pm