What is in store for unity?

Axel Hellmann doesn't know exactly.

He expects a "season of uncertainties," as the board spokesman called it on Wednesday.

A few more days, then the professional football in the Bundesliga starts again.

After the debacle in Mannheim, where the DFB Cup ended, the team of the new coach Oliver Glasner is only at the start in two competitions.

For Hellmann, in the core business of the Bundesliga, there is no question that “we want to play in front of a significant number of spectators”.

Ralf Weitbrecht

Sports editor.

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For the first home game, Eintracht can plan with 25,000 visitors.

This is what the Frankfurt Health Department decided - provided that the seven-day incidence does not exceed the threshold of 100 by the day of the match on August 21. This is probably not to be expected given the current situation - and that's why Hellmann emphasized almost completely in the newly renovated The black press conference room in the Frankfurt Arena, “that our plans assume an average of 30,000 to 35,000 spectators”.

It is understandable that Eintracht hopes to get hold of these numbers.

In the past season, the corona pandemic thwarted any economic ambitions.

Specifically: Eintracht complains about an operating loss of 45 million euros.

"We can't shoulder that for a second year without going to the silverware," said Hellmann, to use the following rule of thumb for the relationship between audience numbers and loss of income: "10,000 fewer viewers mean a loss of ten to twelve million euros."

"That was a setback"

Board colleague Markus Krösche also has to pay attention to the costs in his efforts to put the team together in a promising manner.

Unlike Hellmann, the Krösche responsible for sport did not give any numbers, but limited himself to generalities.

The aim is to bind young talents with potential to Eintracht in order to develop them further and to sell them profitably one day.

"It takes time for one wheel to mesh with the other," said the new sports director, referring to the end of the cup.

"That was a setback, but we are looking ahead," he said, encouraging himself, the team and the coaching team around the new coach Oliver Glasner.

“We still have a lot of things to do better, but we have played very well in preparation.

On the whole, we are satisfied. "

Whether the level of satisfaction rises or falls will soon be seen in Dortmund. There, Eintracht has to prove itself on Saturday from 6.30 p.m. in the so-called top game of the day at home-strong BVB. Krösche did not want to say what should jump out for the former table fifth Eintracht at the end of a long season. The goal of the second competition, which has long since become a favorite event for Frankfurters, is understandable. In the Europa League, said Krösche, “we want to survive the group stage”.

Hellmann and Krösche are happy that the Bundesliga is starting again.

"I'm sure that football will be a lot of fun," said Hellmann, who at the same time spoke of "difficult conditions in the league" because of the pandemic situation.

"There is an emotional and an economic component," said the board spokesman.

When planning concepts that should be limited to a few weeks at most, but usually only to a few days, he sees “extreme flexibility” in demand.

"We always have to plan in two directions."

Hellmann said boldly: "A little less Asia, a little more Wetterau."

"Implementing things better as a collective"

In the Wetterau, but also in many other key regions of Hesse, many loyal fans come to the Eintracht games year after year. Hellmann included them, but also the other sympathizers of Frankfurt football, in his considerations after increasing the number of visitors, which had previously been capped at 25,000. "It is easier to experience Eintracht vaccinated," said the board spokesman. “We want easier access authorization for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.” For example, you can register in advance on the stadium grounds at entrance P9 and have your status entered.

The status of the current team still has to change a lot before the start of the season in Dortmund. As early as Wednesday, coach Glasner had a different possible starting eleven than in Mannheim for the sake of exercise. Stefan Ilsanker instead of Tuta, Filip Kostic instead of Christopher Lenz, Ajdin Hrustic instead of Sebastian Rode: Some things are conceivable in terms of personnel, but one thing is not: that Fabio Blanco will get more shares in the game. The 17-year-old Spaniard, whose style of play Krösche described as "cheeky", was one of the saddest Frankfurt characters in the morning training on Wednesday.

Aside from the action, he was at the training game on the neighboring court and sat lonely on a ball. "We have to give young players like him time," said Krösche. There is still time to make further adjustments to the squad until the transfer deadline in three weeks. The end of the cup showed Eintracht that there is still a lot of catching up to do in some areas. "We have to do things better collectively," said Krösche. Eintracht should begin with it in Dortmund.