Wide awake against Hotspur: “Eintracht needs a cream day”

Eintracht lost 0:3 against the bottom of the table in the Bundesliga. Now it’s against the third in the Premier League. The Champions League is calling. Can the SGE flip the switch and grab Hotspur? What is important now? Eintracht legend “Charly” Körbel reveals it to ntv.de in an interview.

ntv.de: Mr. Körbel, what happened to Eintracht on Saturday?

Karl-Heinz “Charly” Körbel: (laughs) Kind of typical, right? But seriously: I thought that Eintracht would be a bit further after the victories against Leipzig, Bremen, Stuttgart and especially against Union Berlin. You saw what Eintracht is capable of in the Bundesliga. The defeat against Bochum was absolutely unnecessary. Although I have to say that we always struggle against Bochum, no matter which generation of players you choose.

But as a Europa League winner and Champions League participant like Eintracht Frankfurt, you have to go to the bottom of the table and take three points with you…

Absolutely right! Victory. Three points. And done. But football isn’t that simple. And this season in particular, it’s noticeable that no one plays consistently: We win against Leipzig and leaders Union, lose to Wolfsburg at home and bottom of the table Bochum. The big title favorites from Munich and their long-term rival BVB also lack consistency. The same applies to Hoffenheim, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Gladbach. The Bundesliga is currently a piñata!

Coach Oliver Glasner took the bankruptcy in Bochum on his cap.

He did, but was completely unnecessary. He doesn’t have to do that. Players have to take this on their own! After all, Oliver Glasner didn’t play. Very easily.

Was Makoto Hasebe missing as a defensive strategist?

Of course, that’s easy to say with hindsight. Hasebe is an exceptional player. But it’s just too cheap for me to say we lost just because Hasebe didn’t play. The fact is that the 38-year-old Hasebe is currently in impressive form. Since he organized the three-man chain with Evan N’Dicka and Tuta, things have been going well again at Eintracht. Of course, there are only English weeks left until the World Cup, so it may well be that he needs a break or two.

But then others could have jumped into the breach and had to take their chance.

Yes, actually. But neither Lucas Alario nor Rafael Borre forced themselves on the coach with the Bochum game in attack. The topic of a four-man defense chain should also be off the table for the time being.

So the second Eintracht suit doesn’t really fit?

The result in Bochum showed it. If the tribe around Kevin Trapp, Hasebe, Sebastian Rode, Daichi Kamada, Mario Götze and Randal Kolo-Muani runs, Eintracht has a completely different standing on the pitch. In defence, Hasebe gives N’Dicka and Tuta support, he leads them and the players orientate themselves on him. Rode works, always gives his all. And up front with Götze, Kamada, Lindström and Kolo-Muani there is incredible offensive power on the pitch. Neither Alario nor Borre can currently match Kolo-Muani.

Hasebe also directed and held together the defense against Tottenham in the Champions League.

And neither Heung-Min Son nor Harry Kane scored a goal! Of course they had their chances, but in the end none of them ended up in the Frankfurt goal. In a game like this, you actually have to leave the pitch 1-0 as the winner. I hope Eintracht does not miss these two points in the final ranking in the premier class.

Now Frankfurt can add three points directly against Tottenham in the second game against Hotspur …

That would be really ideal! That’s also the good thing about the current situation, that you play every three or four days and there’s no time to get worked up about Bochum’s bankruptcy. Bochum is ticked off, Tottenham is the next opponent. And I’m absolutely certain that we’ll see a different kind of unity there – both in terms of personnel and attitude.

Frankfurt won the Champions League away from Marseille, while Tottenham beat Marseille at home. Hotspur is also strong at home in the Premier League. What does Eintracht have to pay attention to, what is important?

First of all, I’m curious to see how we sell ourselves after Bochum’s bankruptcy. Typical Eintracht would be if we won in London now. A draw would be enough for me. We definitely need a great day against Tottenham – from the whole team. Trapp must be in a good mood, like the last few games. Hasebe has to keep calm and organize the defense in such a way that Kane and Son are signed off. And up front we need the Kamada from the Europa League season and a Kolo-Muani to score his first Champions League goal. Then it might work. I’m not worried at all about Eintracht’s attitude, in the premier class everyone wants to show their skills and play big.

As in the first leg?

Exactly. The first leg showed that Tottenham are just cooking with water, that we can keep up. That also gives self-confidence for the upcoming game. In addition, Eintracht has proven in recent years that they can get along well in London: Arsenal, Chelsea and only in the spring against West Ham. We have respect for Tottenham, but I’m sure Hotspur has respect for us too. No one is underestimated here anymore. In the end, Eintracht has to be as present on the pitch as they were against Union Berlin and not let their guts be bought off.

The group is very balanced: Sporting defeats SGE, Frankfurt beats Marseille and Olympique, while Sporting and Tottenham.

Anything is possible: Eintracht can finish first in the group, but they can also be the last to drop out. Everyone in the group is able to beat anyone. And vice versa (laughs). But at the end of the day, that’s also our chance to finish in the top two in the final standings. Two wins and unity is complete.

So does Eintracht pack Tottenham?

We don’t even need to pack them. We just can’t lose. First off. Taking a point would be important. If there are three points, I am sure that we will reach the round of 16! Eintracht must be wide awake.

Thomas Badtke spoke to Karl-Heinz “Charly” Körbel