The planned SBU spell against West Ham
For the second time in three years, Eintracht Frankfurt is in the semi-finals of the Europa League – also thanks to a club strategy that inspired everyone / By Daniel Schmitt
Frankfurt/London – The “greatest stroke of luck” in the recent history of Eintracht Frankfurt, as club boss Axel Hellmann calls him, recently visited his former sphere of activity in the city forest. Under was thrilled. Total hyped. Above all, the professional camp, built right there where he loved to play tennis four years earlier as a distraction, is very, very impressive. And he was very fond of the warmth shown to him, especially by the many faces he knew. He, Niko Kovac, the 2018 cup winner’s coach, immediately felt the special spirit that Eintracht has been exuding for several years. Thanks also to him, the “Stand-now” trainer.
“Niko introduced a different work mentality to us and the thinking of pushing boundaries through diligence,” reported board spokesman Hellmann a few weeks ago in an FR interview. From the motto that you can create something extraordinary if you work on it with exceptional dedication, “we still benefit today”. So even if Eintracht Frankfurt will compete in the European Cup semifinals for the second time in three years, this Thursday evening (9 p.m. / RTL) in the first leg at English representative West Ham United.
Eintracht Frankfurt: The spirit of Berlin has remained
The former Bayern and Monaco coach Kovac also took time out for the club’s media during his visit to the Stadtwald on the day of the quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona – and looks back on his very personal feat: it began in the cup final Kovac, “Have we made a special magic”. He “saw the sparkle” in every player before kick-off, even the team chef, as the 50-year-old said. Bavaria out, Bavaria out. “We said it to everyone: we can do it.”
Now this sensation against Munich was a while ago, but the spirit of Berlin has remained in the Frankfurt city forest to this day. On this, and here Axel Hellmann does not exaggerate, a not exactly small part of the current success is based. Already with the “Auf-now” campaign in the nerve-wracking and finally survived fight against relegation in 2016, directly after Kovac’s arrival, the Hessen manages to include the full force of the club, all the positive, the energy of the supporters, and sporty to grow.
Since then, this has been a tried and tested remedy. In the 2018 cup final, but also later. The European Cup celebrations, whether in the second leg against Lisbon, whether in Rome, in Milan, against Chelsea, Sevilla or Strasbourg – all of this is based on a self-contained system. Fans that drive the team, a team that takes the fans with them. And then Barcelona, the prime example of this symbiosis, the forest stadiumization of the Camp Nou.
But it’s not just about the sheer number of fans, the support during the 90 minutes, the twelfth man and the twelfth woman, the loud, jet-powered, magical ball nights that just develop like this when a football game is on point, when great things can be achieved. It’s also about the planned magic. Talk yourself strong, even if the opponent is actually stronger. To carry the inner conviction to be the David with the slingshot to the outside world. Always, at every moment of the game, even before, still felt in the shower afterwards. It’s about releasing forces that shouldn’t be there when viewed objectively.
The “Bella Figura” of concord
The surprise successes of Eintracht Frankfurt on the European stage are aside from the sporting aspect, there is also a flawless strategy, a transparent scam in the most positive sense. It was not for nothing that Axel Hellmann tried the “Bella Figura” in the FR conversation before the games against Barcelona, which Eintracht did not intend to give up. He had already chosen very similar words in 2018 before the cup final. The whole club – from said chef to the centre-forward – should be put in a mood that can move mountains and, more importantly, win titles.
Now, before the third European guest appearance in London within a very short time (Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham), the audible vibrations from the heart of Europe are different, quieter, more reserved. Of course those responsible have huge hopes for the final, they dream of the final in Seville, of a cold sip of Äppler from the pot. Immediately after the Barca draw, however, their verbal approach was a louder one. West Ham, on the other hand, is put on the podium by Eintracht sports director Markus Krösche: “A brutally strong team.”
In essence, this is not entirely wrong, the Londoners are a slight favorite, not only with the bookmakers. The pressure of the favorite status in a reasonably big duel, but the Frankfurters were happy to decide the opponent. That sounds smart and should be strategic again.
West Ham: The English Concord
Because the danger of talking about moments of surpassing oneself is that it can often work, but it doesn’t always have to – even if a club like Eintracht is very used to it. In Barcelona, the Frankfurters did a great job, apart from the sporting side, organized a “Frankfurt Embassy” on the eve of the game, and 600 guests were invited. This time in London, on the other hand, the Hessians only bought 3,000 tickets for the stadium. It is likely that many other supporters will want to create a good atmosphere in front of the arena or watch the game in pubs, but like last time in Barcelona they will mostly appear in white. But it WILL be simply impossible to create such a mood as in Camp Nou on English due to the strict treatment of away fans.
It is important to help yourself in a different way this time, without getting by with the full force of the club, which will not be able to afford it again until next week in your own arena at the earliest. It’s a matter of fighting your way through in London this time, to be scratchy against an opponent who is certainly no less scratchy, in order to still have every chance of progressing in the second leg, the big showdown. Then it depends, then the forces of the fans should spill over to the team again – and vice versa. They love these magical nights at Eintracht Frankfurt – and sometimes even plan them. (Daniel Schmidt)