Stand: December 16, 2024, 4:51 a.m
Von: Christopher Michel
PressSplit
Bayern icon Thomas Müller has made numerous striking statements throughout his impressive career. Dino Toppmöller, Eintracht coach, remembers one of them.
Frankfurt – Eintracht Frankfurt suffered a system failure eleven days ago in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup. The Hessians had absolutely no chance at RB Leipzig and deservedly lost 0:3 (0:1). Are Frankfurt making the right adjustments before the duel on matchday 14 on Sunday evening (7:30 p.m.)? Coach Dino Toppmöller hasn't forgotten the defeat yet: “Since this game wasn't that long ago, we still have a certain amount of anger in our stomachs. We want to convert this into positive energy.”
Toppmöller recalls Müller's sentence
The Hessian coach recalled a player he experienced up close for almost two years as an assistant coach at FC Bayern Munich: “We want, as Thomas Müller once said, to turn on the anger engine.” This quote was made on January 9th December 2023 – after Munich's bitter 1:5 defeat at Eintracht. You can see how Toppmöller is working after three competitive games without success.
The preliminary round is currently going well beyond what could be seriously planned. Eintracht went into the matchday second in the table with 27 points – and with a win in Leipzig they can even move within three points of leaders FC Bayern Munich. And yet there is concern in those around us as to whether, after 22 competitive games, they still have enough strength for two intense duels.
Will Eintracht develop the necessary greed again?
The flow has been somewhat lost in these dreary winter days. A 0:3 at RB was followed by a mediocre 2:2 against FC Augsburg and the first Europa League defeat at Olympique Lyon (2:3). Toppmöller therefore has a clear demand for his team: “We should go into the game with the necessary self-confidence in our strengths and develop the necessary greed to continue to be successful in the Bundesliga.”
That's exactly why Toppmöller deliberately highlighted Leader Müller as the great role model. The 2014 world champion always knows exactly when to put his finger on the wound in public and wake up the team. Frankfurt are exactly in one of those moments that must be classified as trend-setting within a season. There is a fine line to walk: when you lose, your head rattles louder and louder. With a good performance in Leipzig, however, the trend can quickly go in the other and therefore positive direction.
