Luca Pellegrini looked around for a moment.

He hesitated, but then the Eintracht professional simply threw the yellow shirt on the ground.

Not where the collection point for the paraphernalia was after the training session, not even close to it.

In fact, the Italian was already on his way up the small hill to his bike.

A teammate was not at his side, he was one of the first on the way back to the neighboring professional camp.

Pellegrini's carelessness does not deserve much attention.

But his behavior isn't the most refined.

George Daniels

Editor in the sports department

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Pellegrini was looking a bit somber this afternoon.

There was no reason for him to be dissatisfied.

He had a good training session last Tuesday, which lasted around two hours: the defender, with the necessary commitment, did not avoid a duel.

And he scored goals with great determination.

As if he also wanted to prove his skills to Oliver Glasner, because Pellegrini has something to make up for with the coach.

From time to time the Italians take the obviously necessary educational measures of the Austrians, who could have imagined becoming a teacher.

When Frankfurt were on a trip to Japan last month, Pellegrini was suddenly no longer in the squad for the second friendly against Gamba Osaka.

The native Roman is said not to have been injured, and it was probably not a form of physical stress control.

Rather, Glasner obviously gave his moody professional a lesson.

Pellegrini's performance in the first private game against the Urawa Red Diamonds, which did not meet the requirements, caused some displeasure in the coach, as his specifications should also be strictly implemented in tests.

As a result, there was a verbal argument between the two, which audibly went beyond the norm.

When asked this week, Glasner explained that there would always be "that the coach gets louder when he's dissatisfied".

That was also the case in this case.

With his appearance, Pellegrini has often offended Eintracht.

Leading players such as captain Sebastian Rode and goalkeeper Kevin Trapp also pointed out to the loanee from Juventus Turin in one or two conversations that the rules of the game would also apply to him when dealing with each other.

Sometimes Pellegrini, aware of his appealing football history, exaggerates with his demonstratively displayed self-confidence.

In certain situations, he approaches his teammates in a too bold and demanding manner.

The team, which maintains an exceptionally good team spirit, is not used to it.

It does not tolerate deviations that could harm the common good.

A change would not be a surprise

A separation of the club from Pellegrini in the winter transfer period in January should not be an issue at the moment.

"There's nothing to it at the moment" - that's how sporting director Markus Krösche put it.

However, his statement leaves room for speculation.

It would not be a surprise if Pellegrini, who initially revealed physical deficits and had come from Turin as a kind of encore for Filip Kostic, were to change employers again after only six months in Frankfurt.

The Hessians, it is said, should deal with the commitment of the 23-year-old Senegalese international Ismail Jakobs on loan.

The left-back, who helped Senegal to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, is currently playing for AS Monaco.

On the pitch, Pellegrini has two faces.

That of the professional who tends towards theatrics, who likes the show.

Then he seems put on.

The other Pellegrini lets go of the frills, concentrates on the essentials and dutifully fulfills his task on the left.

The technically gifted Pellegrini pulls himself together, especially in the important games.

After the decisive Champions League group game at Sporting Lisbon, the Italian received special praise from Glasner for his good work.

A few days later in Augsburg, however, Pellegrini failed to live up to expectations and was therefore limited to the first 45 minutes of the game.

If the shaky candidate still wants to prevail at Eintracht, he has to stop his fickleness.

He has competition with Ansgar Knauff and Christopher Lenz.

Both are above the Italian in the hierarchy when they are in full possession of their powers.

Pellegrini has to fight for his standing.

He did not see the time at Eintracht as a "holiday year," he said at his presentation in Frankfurt.