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Jamal Musiala kept slipping, especially when turning

Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa

The grass in Frankfurt's European Championship stadium caused a lot of frustration during the German national team's friendly against the Netherlands on Tuesday. “Unfortunately the pitch was a disaster,” said national coach Julian Nagelsmann after his team’s 2-1 win. That would have had a negative impact on the game both offensively and defensively, he said. The players kept slipping away.

Jamal Musiala was particularly affected by this, “unfortunately he didn’t have a good position in the case with his hooks,” as Nagelsmann said. Musiala also criticized the condition of the pitch: “I felt like I was slipping with every action. The field went away every time, with every turn," said the Bayern young star. The slip factor is “already dangerous,” despite shoes with studs. Substitute Thomas Müller also criticized: “It’s crazy.”

According to Nagelsmann, the slippery surface played a decisive role in Joey Veerman's early goal (4th minute), which was facilitated by a weak back pass from Maximilian Mittelstädt and hesitant defensive behavior from Jonathan Tah. “We defend it on a good pitch – even if it wasn’t a good ball,” said Nagelsmann. Mittelstädt agreed: »Without looking for excuses: the pitch wasn't in optimal condition and we often slipped. Of course that shouldn't happen."

The problems with the turf in the arena have been going on for a long time. According to a report in the “Bild” newspaper, the turf had to be replaced after the Kansas City Chiefs’ NFL guest appearance in November 2023. Since then, those responsible for Eintracht have repeatedly struggled with the condition of the pitch. There are two home games in a row for Eintracht Frankfurt. A short-term lawn renewal is therefore difficult to implement. After that, it is likely that he will be swapped - also with a view to the European Championship.

The German team's third and final group game against Switzerland will take place in Frankfurt on June 23rd. If the DFB team only finishes third in the group, the subsequent round of 16 could even take place in the arena.

ast/dpa/sid