What has been that year for? In the past twelve months, Eintracht has seen a lot that will be remembered: two victories over FC Bayern, the near qualification for the Champions League, the announcement of a coach departure that threw the team off track, the bumpy entry of his successor, the departure of the string puller Bobic, the appointment of Krösche as the new sports director, the retirement of manager Hübner, the loss of goalgetter Silva or the opening of the professional camp "In the heart of Europe" - there was no shortage of meaningful events. 2021 was turbulent on and next to the lawn, especially since the (incalculable) economic consequences of the pandemic always had to be taken into account in all decisions.
So the sporting interim balance around New Year's Eve can be seen. But what's next? Sixth place in the Bundesliga represents a performance that was not to be expected until well into autumn, when the team and coach Glasner were still strangers. If the team continues the trend that brought them to the top at the end of the December tasks with victories over Leverkusen, Gladbach and Mainz and which is based on a playful maturation process, a return to international business is within the realm of what is feasible. The early qualification for the round of 16 in the current Europa League campaign also shows prospects.
The Austrian football teacher who had to undergo facial surgery (fracture of the cheekbone) in the Frankfurt University Hospital after falling on an e-scooter and who wants to return to the training ground in the middle of this week cannot be perfectly happy.
So shortly after Christmas Eve, the coach would have received a belated present that would improve his personal options.
The Eintracht line-up is large with 32 professionals.
However, there are two main drawbacks that should be eliminated.
On the right-hand side there is a quartet with Touré, Durm, Chandler and da Costa, which alternately only knew how to please.
And there is also a need for action in the Sturmspitze.
Winter transfers are particularly difficult because the market isn't big and new signings have little time to acclimate.
The harmony should still keep your eyes and ears open.
A gain in substance cannot do any harm.
In order to create (financial) freedom, she should start with the quantity of the cadre: giving up reservists who, like Barkok, no longer fit into the concept, increases the freedom.
In top-class sport, standing still means going backwards.
Eintracht cannot want that at the beginning of January 2022.