Eintracht Frankfurt already lost its way in the first competitive game of the new football season. The third division club Waldhof Mannheim, which triumphed 2-0 in the duel David against Goliath, unexpectedly became a stumbling block for the ambitious Europa League participant in the first DFB Cup main round. Nevertheless, the direction on the Main is right for the new sports director Markus Krösche. “By and large, we are on the right track.” The 40-year-old now sees no reason to “question the quality of the squad or anything. We trust every single player and are very satisfied with the squad, ”said Krösche and announced that“ probably not much more will happen ”.

The 21-year-old Norwegian Jens Petter Hauge, whom Eintracht will sign on loan from AC Milan, was already firmly planned for Sunday. The offensive player has “a lot of speed, radiates goal danger and can solve one-on-one situations. It gives us even more variability in the attack, ”said the sports director, naming the advantages of the designated new addition even before the enforcement notice.

Instead of successfully taking the first step into the new season and feeling well prepared for the Bundesliga kick-off next Saturday (6.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and Sky) at Borussia Dortmund, the Frankfurt team had to go to Mannheim as early as possible Take a “setback” (Krösche) at this point in time, which does not suggest anything good for the future.

Unless the embarrassing cup was just a slip that can be quickly corrected by the Eintracht professionals with deeds on the pitch.

"Will judge us harshly"

In any case, the strategy of how the Hessians want to deal with this false start sounded good. "We will be very hard on ourselves," said the new head coach Oliver Glasner. “That is our fault, we only look for the fault with ourselves. We are all very critical of ourselves. Everyone has to start with themselves. We made a lot of mistakes - and I'll start with myself. "

The 46-year-old Austrian did not tolerate any excuses. He didn't get out of it either. He was only able to keep it to himself if he had major concerns after this incorrect performance by his team. The form of his team shown in the cup doesn't cause him any “worries with regard to the season. I know the players will do better, ”said Glasner. When asked, he was not “shocked”. "I am shocked by other reports and headlines," said the former Wolfsburg Bundesliga coach. One or two Eintracht players like Djibril Sow had already spoken of the Champions League in the preparation for the season. That forbids itself now. Daydreams are not in demand. After the rude awakening in the cup, coach and team have to face reality.

The high level of praise that Glasner had given his team before the first competitive game turned out to be unjustified in practice. The list of defects was far too long for that - front and back. “We didn't manage to develop a goal hazard over a long period of time. We weren't purposeful enough, we didn't have the right solutions. We were not present enough in the penalty area and had too little dynamism, ”complained Glasner.

The new Colombian striker Rafael Borré found himself hardly involved in the offensive game of Eintracht.

Daichi Kamada was also not the desired asset.

Newcomer Jesper Lindström was still the busiest player on the pitch in the first 45 minutes.

The two wingers Danny da Costa and Christopher Lenz did not provide the necessary recovery.

The banned Filip Kostic was very much missed on the left.

Dilettante defense behavior

“We did a lot of things badly today,” admitted Glasner. From the 40th minute on, this also included defensive behavior, which became more amateurish from minute to minute. After Marcel Seegert's goal in Mannheim in the 48th minute, the Frankfurt team “lost the structure” and had to accept Joseph Boyamba's 0-2 (52nd minute), according to Glasner. "We wanted our head through the wall and chose the wrong means."

To make matters worse, the mindlessly appearing Eintracht had to deny the last half an hour outnumbered, because Martin Hinteregger had received the yellow-red card after repeated foul play. In his Bundesliga career, it was the first time the Austrian national player was sent off who did not know how to gloss over his team's performance. “Let's be honest: that was nothing. What a bad game for me and us. Not to be excused, ”he said. In Dortmund, Eintracht has made up for a lot. "Such setbacks as in Mannheim are also part of it, in order to then take two steps forward," said Krösche. Frankfurt has an obligation to deliver.