Coming events cast their shadows.
There is a lot of activity around the arena.
Construction vehicles are humming, forklifts transport material, cranes lift employees up on the outer facade, who lend a hand on the facade.
The Frankfurt football stadium in the city forest is preparing for a return to "normality", whatever it may look like after 15 months of pandemic.
Marc Heinrich
Sports editor.
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From late summer onwards, if the Corona incidence permits, spectators should again be allowed into the huge round, in which there is tinkering everywhere, also because from now on a new caterer will provide the guests with food and drink and the infrastructure will be modernized.
In consultation with the local health authorities, Eintracht can allow up to 25,000 supporters access to home games from mid-August.
It has also been clarified that from the third Bundesliga matchday on (on which Eintracht must compete in Bielefeld on August 28), visiting fans will be allowed again.
Future music.
Hard work, friendly tone
People are currently working hard on the lawns in front of the imposing center of the Deutsche Bank Park. Or as Aymen Barkok put it: “The training is good for your legs.” After a few units in which head coach Oliver Glasner deliberately reduced the speed and intensity in order to give the players the opportunity to take a deep breath at the beginning of the third week of preparation, pulled he took the reins. Barkok called the workload “crisp”. But, he added with relief that luckily “the ball is often on the foot” and “fewer runs” are to be done.
They were aware that Glasner is a trainer who knows how to combine hard work and a cordial tone to create a promising mixture when it was clear that the Austrian was succeeding his compatriot Adi Hütter, who had emigrated to Gladbach. He was preceded by a good reputation from Wolfsburg, said Barkok about the new boss, while the previous one showed manners towards the end that were not so easy to see through. At least Hütter never explained to him why he no longer took him into account as he did at the beginning of the sporting year, but instead presented a fait accompli and relegated it to the second link.
Ajdin Hrustic also said he was impressed by the collaboration with Glasner on Thursday, whom he got to know better for the first time after his vacation on Monday. “He's open and honest with the players,” said the 25-year-old, who has since got the impression that Glasner repeats the things he has in mind until “everyone has them in their heads”. Under Hütter, the Melbourne-born professional with Bosnian roots was given only limited opportunities to show what he is capable of. He was only allowed to play eleven times in the league, ten of them as a substitute. However, he indicated that he has a dynamic that can cause problems for the opposing defense. His goal while sitting against Mainz (1: 1) at the beginning of May was the highlight.
Hrustic did not accept the fact that some outsiders think that difficult months with all kinds of ups and downs lay behind him. “I've made great strides forward.” After moving from Groningen (where he made room for Arjen Robben), he “learned a lot” at Eintracht and developed: “It was a successful time for me.” Above all, his Train into the penalty area is noticeable, he also has a full shot with both feet.
In Wolfsburg, Glasner's philosophy included that the attackers should deliberately attempt to close from a distance in order to take a defense that is moving backwards by surprise; so they scored a dozen goals. That could be Hrustic. "I love to learn," he said of his expectations for this summer and that he is in the central midfield as a tenth, but can also occupy the wing positions like in the Australian national team. He is looking forward to showing his flexibility to Glasner. In order to get an idea of everyone who started with him "from scratch", as the 46-year-old said, the Frankfurters agreed a test for Tuesday. Then it goes at the stadium against FC Gießen from the regional league (4 p.m.).