Eintracht in the training camp: "It will give the team a boost"

On Sunday afternoon, Eintracht's football professionals initially went in a direction in the training camp that they don't think they should go in the course of the season: downwards.

Rafting, one of several team-building activities during the week in Windischgarsten, Austria, involved players and coaches paddling down a river in large, ten-person inflatable boats.

Neoprene on your body, life jacket over it, helmet on your head, paddle in your hand, grin on your face.

And of course water everywhere.

If you wanted, you could jump into the river at the end, although the weather wasn't exactly ideal for swimming.

It was cold, said Djibril Sow the day after.

"More strenuous than training, to be honest.

My muscles are sore everywhere," admitted the 25-year-old Frankfurt midfield strategist, pointing to his abs and laughing.

“It was very funny and my group finished first.

You have to work together as a team and always make sure that you row at the same time.

This is important because a lot of new and young players have joined.

And the team spirit was also crucial last season.”

“Really looking forward to this season”

In order to strengthen the teamwork not only next to but also on the pitch, the team in Windischgarsten of course also trains with the ball at their feet.

On Monday, two units were on the program.

First in the weight room, then out on the court.

What was seen there, or rather heard, was above all a good and relaxed atmosphere.

It is important to preserve this and at the same time integrate eight new players into the team.

A team evening, where the newcomers had to sing for the first time, and rafting should contribute to this, even if the competition is greater than last season.

"That will give the team another boost," believes Sow.

"Everyone gets their fair chance now, and then you have to show what you can give the team.

In the end, it's the performance that counts.” The Swiss doesn't really think about the fact that the team lacks motivation or hunger for victory after the Europa League victory.

"We'll definitely have one or two more team meetings and talk about the goals we want to achieve this season.

I'm really in the mood for this season, for the Champions League, for the Supercup.

You can see that in everyone.

Everyone is here with huge anticipation and motivation to have a great season.”

"That was nice, but that's all passé now"

The time of countless congratulations for the Europa League victory must now be over.

"You can't let it get to your head too much," said the Swiss international.

"In the national team I only got congratulations, that was nice, but that's all passé now.

We have to stay hungry and ambitious, that's what made us different in the Europa League."

However, Sow expects the Seville triumph to have an after-effect: "The teams will now be even hotter against us because they absolutely want to show that they can keep up against a Europa League winner," he suspects.

That could already be seen in the test matches.

“It was a different aggressiveness and mentality.

And that will also come to us in the Bundesliga.

We have to adjust to that.

Also on teams that will play more defensively.”

In dealing with this, Sow still sees room for improvement at Eintracht.

Above all, he has hopes for a new signing, with whom he should act in midfield in the future: Mario Götze.

"First of all, I expect that he will make us better with his experience and calmness and also bring new solutions in the last third.

We saw that again in the last test match, that we actually have the games completely under control and play 60 to 70 percent in the opposing half, but then in the last third we are too imprecise or make the wrong decision.

That is certainly something where we can make the biggest step next season.”

And that will also be necessary.

Because Eintracht expects a different level in the Champions League than in the Europa League.

"Every mistake is punished, we have to be prepared for that," warns Sow, who played in the Champions League with Young Boys Bern but did not progress beyond the group stage.

“We paid a lot of tuition.

My aspirations are certainly different now, and we have to try to get through the group.”

Eintracht wants to tackle this major task as a well-established team.

The team is free on Wednesday and can organize the day themselves.

Maybe one or the other decides for a mountain hike, the route of which leads steeply uphill.

Exactly how the performance curve of Eintracht should look from now on.