Eintracht Frankfurt: Christopher Lenz: My craziest Kruse moment! – EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
SPORT BILD: Christopher Lenz, a year ago you experienced what Niklas Süle from Dortmund is about to do: you signed with another club five months before the end of the season. What kind of jokes did you get from ex-club Union Berlin when your free transfer to Frankfurt became known?
Christopher Lenz (27): At first everyone was happy for me. Then I had to listen to Robert Andrich, for example: “So you’re hoping to play in the Champions League?” And then the Champions League anthem was played in the dressing room. I found that funny. I was also told: “You won’t play against Frankfurt in the second half of the season, you only score own goals there.”
Frankfurt – Wolfsburg 0:2
Krasser trembling penalty from Kruse!
Source: image
You actually missed the game because of an injury …
… and Robert Andrich scored the own goal himself! We lost 2:5. Afterwards he came to me and said jokingly: I did that for you.
With Bayern fans, Süle is now criticized by some fans. What advice can you give him for the next few weeks?
Above all, you have to be at peace with yourself and know that you give everything. Of course, people are afraid that you will neglect the old club. Every mistake in the game WILL be attributed to the fact that you are supposedly not thinking fully. But that’s not true, we Bundesliga players are too professional for that.
Who is crazier, your ex-Union colleague Max Kruse or your current teammate Martin Hinteregger?
I wouldn’t call Martin crazy. Max is definitely more extroverted. You can’t shape it like you can shape maybe 80, 90 percent of the players.
Was your craziest moment with him?
That was last season before the 3-1 win in Hoffenheim, when he felt like he ate a million Nutella rolls at lunch. No other player would be able to run two kilometers with their stomach. But he then made a goal, two assists and decided the game. These are memories that die. He said to the young players at the dinner table with a wink: “Don’t just look at me. What I can do, not everyone can.”
After moving to VfL Wolfsburg, Kruse was insulted as a mercenary. Did you expect the step?
For me it was surprising, but for him it was probably the best thing he could do. Max isn’t 23 anymore, so I understand him when he signs another big contract.
Is a team more successful with players like Kruse?
You always need guys like him who are a bit crazy and always in a good mood, even if there’s no sunshine for what feels like 16 weeks in winter. Extroverted players pull their teammates up when they are down. If everyone were equal, the dressing room would be very boring and there would be no team spirit.
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Who is allowed to play the Kruse role at Eintracht?
Sometimes it could be Martin Hinteregger, sometimes Timothy Chandler. Gonçalo Paciência is the most popular. When he dances, when he sings, he turns the wheel completely. Everyone laughs and is in a good mood.
Do you have any examples?
He often surprised us. Sometimes he’s in the mood for the 1960s, then he comes with a coat and flat cap, and we hear the Beatles in the dressing room.
At Union you were still the booth DJ.
That’s impossible here. Gonçalo Paciência is already connected to each of our music systems via Bluetooth. The devices don’t even accept my cell phone (laughs).
In Eintracht’s newly built cabins, extra attention was paid to the loudspeaker system, right?
Here is the most modern system that I know. The boxes are even embedded in the walls and ceiling. At Union, we once bought an extra-strong system for the weight room from the team’s treasury. But it was too big. When we cranked it up all the way, the panes wobbled.
Goal of the year contender
You haven’t seen goals like this for a long time
Source: IMAGE
In Frankfurt you are a competitor to Filip Kostic as a left-back. It’s been set for years – how do you get past it?
Of course I want to play as much as possible and not be a permanent substitute. I would love to be on the pitch with Filip because he’s good for a goal or an assist in every game. The hope is that there is a solution where we can both play, for example he moves forward or we play with a back four instead of a back five. But the coach decides that. In any case, I want to offer myself and I’m there when I’m needed.
What can you learn from him?
His flanks under pressure. Some of what he’s doing there can’t be explained logically. In training I often have the feeling that I have my foot in front of his flanks and that he has nowhere to play. And yet he usually manages to get the ball dangerously in front of the goal.
And what can he learn from you?
This applies to defensive and tactical behavior. For example the timing of when he has to move in at the back or when he has to help the central defender.
Is it true that Kostic is a coffee freak?
Yes. He and Kevin Trapp even have their own in-cabin portafilter machine, although we have 50 other machines. If you ask nicely, they will give you a cup (laughs).