Oliver Glasner's Frankfurt: A predictive glance.

 

As rumors swirl about Filip Kostic (and others) possibly leaving this summer to the usual suspects of Italy and England, I've been trying to get my head around how Glasner will lineup in the 2021/2022 Bundesliga Season.  While (if you read the tabloids) it seems that there could be an S.G.E. garage sale going on this summer, it's also highly likely we see the full squad return.  While I'm excited about the new season, new coach, (hopefully) a fresh mindset, and fresh results, I'm most anxious about the possible mass exodus that could take place this summer. With the high unlikelihood that (outside of the moves already made) Eintracht will have the funds to bring in impact players at certain positions this transfer window, I'm assuming the squad will look very similar next year.

What can we learn about Glasner from his time at Wolfsburg?

There were sort of two different Oliver Glasner's over the last two years.  In 2019/2020, he was extremely flexible with his formations and lineup. Showing 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, and 3-4-3 depending on matchups and style of play he wanted, Glasner seemed to try to weekly change his formations based on their opponent.  During 2020/2021 Glasner almost seemed like an entirely different coach, sticking primarily with a very defensive 4-2-3-1 that held strong in defense and ranked second best in the Bundesliga with 37 goals against.  While his defensive tactics are more compact and stringent than what we saw under Hutter, his attacking play is quite similar.  Glasner likes to play long and direct.  His teams typically aren't high possession sides with tons of short passing.  The passing numbers were very similar to Eintracht's last year under Hutter. Not an overly high overall percentage (Wolfsburg - 77.3 v. SGE - 78.2), both ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of total number of passes attempted ( Eintracht -6th with 18,416 vs. Wolfsburg - 9th with 17,140), where the two differed greatly was in the percentage of passes that were 30 yards or longer (Wolfsburg - 4th most, Eintracht 11th). Glasner loves to strike quickly on the counter-attack with long passing and quick transitions. As with most Bundesliga teams, Glasner loves high pressure, and his style fits well with what Eintracht has done under both Hutter and Kovac. The Eagles and Glasner should be a good match from a tactical standpoint, but how he lines up on matchdays might take a bit of creativity.  While he has the players to replicate his style of play, there are a few spots where the current roster might pose challenges for him.

As Adi Hutter found out, this roster might not fit his preferred formation:

Last year Wolfsburg lined up almost exclusively (29 times in 34 matchdays) in a 4-2-3-1 during Bundesliga play.  They held that shape whether in attack or defense.  The keys to holding this shape in defense were two things (1) Yannick Gerhardt, who played the #10 but is a tremendous defensive player.  Yannick attacks ball carriers and can cover a good amount of ground both vertically and laterally. (2) The passing and deep shooting ability of Maximilian Arnold and Xavier Schlager.  Both of these midfielders have huge legs that can burn you multiple ways from deep. Sebastien Rode and Djibril Sow are different players but still fit into this style of play.  The main questions about trying to bring this formation to Eintracht would be (1) Daichi Kamada and Amin Younes aren't the defenders Yannick Gerhardt is. (2) Who plays on the right side?  Between Almamy Toure, Erik Durm, Danny Da Costa, Timmy Chandler and Amin Barkok, we have to find a combination that works going forward on the right.  This was the biggest weakness of Die Adler in their Europa League run (other than the total late-season collapse of their defense).  Erik Durm (for much of the season) brought defensive stability to the right flank but offered little going forward. Almamy Toure was fantastic defensive in the Matchday 22 win over Bayern (2:1) before going down to a hip injury that derailed his season. While he is vastly more athletic than Durm, Toure also lacks the touch and crossing ability going forward.  Despite the log-jam of players at this position, it's hard to see a combination of any two that would be impactful on the right flank. Glasner loves to have his wing players cut back inside and wreak havoc as opposed to staying wide and lobbing in crosses, and while I actually think this system is perfect for Filip Kostic (and will also reduce his overall workload), I don't see a compliment on the opposite side.  A Toure/Durm combination at the right-back based on matchups is likely, but this would also involve moving N'Dicka out of a natural position and into a left-back role. N'Dicka has played there under Hutter with varying results.  His long strides can make it difficult to cover the super quick forwards of the Bundesliga, and as long as he is playing in Frankfurt, needs to be on the field.

The other option of course would be to simply move Amin Younes outside.  While Younes isn't the high pressing, multi-faceted winger of Ridle Baku, he's fantastic at cutting back inside and creating.  Having a player behind him such as Da Costa that can overlap, but also support him in defense would be key.  Having Younes here (in my opinion) would demand a high work rate, extremely athletic defender behind him.  If Da Costa can be the 2018/2019 Da Costa, or the Da Costa we saw at Mainz last year he would be a  terrific fit.  Barkok could also be a very realistic option at the #10.  While he doesn't have the creativity or nack for simply making a play that Kamada does, he's a much better option defensively.  I actually think we could see Barkok take a big step this year, much like Sow did last year.  

What we most likely will see, a very familiar look:

I believe that with the designs of the current roster, it's very difficult to shift away from the three-man backline.  N'Dicka is super talented but is much better suited as the outside man in a three-man backline than has a pressing and overlapping fullback.  The other problem is that our best two center backs are both left-footed.  When your best option is bypassing the midfielders to play deep balls to Filip Kostic, this isn't a bad problem to have from the guy in the middle, but putting Hinti on the right side would take away his big left foot and quality downfield passing. 

While the Doppel Tzehn was all the rage last year during Frankfurt's hot midseason run, it was hardly the first time the Bundesliga has seen it.  14 times in the 2019/2020 campaign Oliver Glasner lined the Wolves up this way and used the 3-4-3 in 67% of their Europa League games.  While I think there will be several different formations and lineups that Eintracht uses this year for both rotational and tactical reasons, this will be the one most utilized.  The squad is best constructed for it, they've had success with it, and Glasner isn't foreign to it's usefulness.  While the question of Right Wing-Back may be unanswered all season long, I really think Danny Da Costa will emerge as the favorite.  The work he did at Mainz after his loan there can't be overlooked, and hopefully, he can hold form.

Thanks again for reading,

#Forza S.G.E.

Brian

I'm in love with a diva, and it hurts soo good.

So, full disclaimer: I'm fairly new to these grounds.  I've been following Eintracht Frankfurt for just under a decade, so you'll have to excuse me.  Being from across the pond, we didn't have large exposure to the beauty and passion of European football until recently.  Across the Atlantic, we also have a completely different perspective on professional Sports. When I discovered S.G.E. I latched on hard.  It was love at first sight and an affair forged through trial. The fans seduced me more than the players or style of play. It was the supporters and their passion that drew me in.  They seduced me to this diva, and I have no regrets.

Hurt sooo go-ood.  COME ON BABY MAKE IT HURT SO GOOD.

When I first saw her, she was just the girl next door, but had that something:

17th in the Bundesliga table, with a coach and a bunch of players I'd never heard of, and games I couldn't watch.  I'd made a promise to follow this club, and I was determined to do so.  As the club began to take shape, and I began to learn more about 50+1, promotion/relegation, this club's values, and where it stands on social issues it just really struck a chord.  You could see they were slowly building something here, and this time was full of guys people had given up on.  They fought, they battled, they were grinders, and they began to play some really exciting soccer.  They had Timmy Chandler, Marco Fabian, and Carlos Salcedo.  Omar Mascarall was great, but Alex Meier got me.  The style was exciting, the fans and the TIFO were like nothing I'd ever seen. I found myself sitting at home getting chills down my spine listening to the fans scream "HEY EINTRACHT FRANKFURT!" and learning the words to "Schwarz-Weiss wie Schnee" and "Im Hartzen von Europa".   She sucked me in, and then she broke my heart :)

With Divas, there are highs and lows and constant drama.

It was supposed to be the year we finally broke through.  On matchday 27, we were holding firm to a Champions League spot and our Coach had us flying high and performing well.  We had just lost a hard-fought battle to Borussia Dortmund the week before and were facing a struggling Mainz team.  That's when the rumors about the diva started circling.  It seems that a bigger, richer, fancier club had come calling.  The club became instant turmoil, as the rumors gathered in strength.  "There's no way this is true, Bayern Munich can have anyone they want!" Another loss, a draw, and my Eagles dropped from 4th to 7th.  By the time the news officially dropped on April 13th, Champions League was a long-gone memory.  Admittedly, we were playing over our skis for the better part of 3 months. But the 4-1 loss to Leverkusen sealed our fate. Eintracht finished the season collecting 4 points out of a possible 21 down the stretch, and 7th was the final resting spot. We had one last chance to qualify for Europe, but it was definitely a long shot.

Niko and the guys had one more performance in them that year.  "There's no one in the goal!", and we found ourselves in Europa League.  Die Adler became Die Pokal Sieger, for at least a while. That's when the Diva..Diva'd.  You don't earn the Diva moniker without having serious amounts of talent, and sometimes the Diva has to show you who they really are.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.  I understood why Niko was leaving, even if I didn't respect it.  I mean, it was Bayern Munich and probably a truckload of money.  The bad thing about Divas though is history often repeats itself.  And each time it does, it gets a little bit worse.  

"Wait....Adi is leaving us for WHO?  No way."

"How is this news gonna break right before we play them......while we are fighting to seal a Champions League spot???"

"Bobic is going where??? He must REALLY want to leave, this isn't going away."

The thing about Divas is, everything is beautiful...until it isn't:

Beautiful voice, beautiful clothes, beautiful appearance. This club has beautiful fans, plays a style that is both beautiful and blue-collar, and has fans that make the whole thing pop.  That's what really got me.  Der Waldstadion explodes, but so does every single stadium Eintracht plays in.  The club has a message of togetherness and acceptance and aren't ashamed of it.  I love that, all of it.  They sucked me in with their grit and determination.  The fans enticed me with their passion and songs.   They seduced me with the wins over Bayern and Dortmund, and their exciting play.  Then they ripped my heart out...every single year.  Sure, we got a decent consolation this year.  We actually qualified for Europa on Bundesliga positioning for only the third time ever.  But.....CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.....ugh.  And the way it all went down at the end of the year just hurt.  

Divas will sell off all your favorite things when they're angry:

Players come and go, but Eintracht fans always push the team - Taka Inui

I kind of fear any of my favorite players breaking out, even though I'm desperate for them to.  You just get a feeling they'll leave you for someone else.  Someone bigger, flashier, makes more money, and drives a nicer car.  They might even have a bigger and fancier house, but they'll never have a better home. I understand why Jovic would want to go to Real Madrid, or why Niko Kovac left for Bayern, but I'll never understand why Adi Hutter did what he did this year.  Gladbach?  Is he even serious with this?  I'll never understand why Haller left us for West Ham, even if they paid him a ton of money.  Mostly because.....it's West Ham.  I'm not leaving my job teaching to scrape sewers, even if they tripled my salary.  Being there was soo great, he left during a champions league run and they took a 20 million dollar loss on him.  I don't even really understand Rebic leaving for A.C. Milan.  Sure they're a big and storied club.  We're a traditional club notching our way up. We have the greatest fans of any sport on the planet, and we've become a constant European qualifier of late.  Rebic left for a club that rejected an offer to play in Europe because they were financially strapped.  In the blink of an eye, the Buffalo Herd were all gone.  You could make a good case that all three worsened their situation, but were chasing something bigger.  Kevin Trapp went down that road, only to find his way back.  Sebastien Rode too.

Not only do your players get sold, but they sometimes just leave:  Lukas Hradecky, Kevin Prinz-Boateng just......left.  Bruda, slag den ball lang packed his suitcase and left for Italy.  Hradecky took his beer-drinking, fun-loving, Pokal winning attitude with him to Leverkusen.  I understand, players come and players go, but the way some of these left just.....hurt.  

The Endpoint:

In a vacuum, this season should be seen as a success.  European qualification based on final standing has only happened 3 times in the last 25 years.  This is the highest final position in the table that Eintracht has seen since I started following them.  Andre Silva tied the club record for goals and transformed from a decent striker to a dominant force.  Djibril Sow took the leap to solid Bundesliga player and Amin Younes completely changed the squad and style of play on the pitch.  In a span of These are all things we should be celebrating.  But, it's really hard to see all the good with the way the season ended.

I'm not shocked that Fredi Bobic and Adi Hutter are leaving Eintracht; I'm shocked at how.  Bobic was outspoken when Kovac was announced midseason to Bayern a few years back, but I guess it's different if the Sporting Director does it in the middle of the season?  After the work that Eintracht put in during the Europa League run his first year here I really had a lot of respect for Adi Hutter, but the way he announced his departure I lost all of it.  Is it all he and Bobic's fault?  No, the players didn't perform.  But, it also felt like they were underprepared and lackadaisical.  The movement in attack suddenly stopped, and instead of the fluid, free-flowing attack going forward, Eintracht had to chug and churn for every inch they got.  The defending became more and more sloppy, and players weren't tracking back as hard or pressing as high.  The desperation suddenly left the club.  They looked like married couples "just staying together for the kids." The daily routine was there, but the fire and passion we had seen for most of the year weren't. As much good as happened this season, the ending was severely disappointing.  We thought it was a masterpiece, it turned out to be "Game of Thrones."  This is also part of loving a diva, this is part of loving Eintracht. Bring on the Kroshke/Glasner era, and lets finish what we started. 

Thanks again for reading,

Forza S.G.E.

Brian