For the second time in a week, the away end at the Waldstadion was packed with fans in all sorts of weird and wonderful costumes as Eintracht Frankfurt welcomed carnival opposition twice in the space of four days.
But, as it turns out, the hosts don’t have much time for carnival, either on or off the pitch. On Wednesday, 3,500 jovial-looking Mainz fans were sent home disappointed as Eintracht dumped their team out of the cup 3-0. Then on Saturday, it was the Cologne fans’ turn as their team suffered a 4-2 defeat in the league.
There was little in the way of carnival sympathy in the stands either, as Frankfurt ultras unveiled a banner reading: “Black and white beats colourful shite!” Indeed, Die Adler (The Eagles) have serious business to attend to this season.
Eagles flying high
Since a 0-1 defeat at home to runaway leaders Bayern Munich in December, Eintracht have won six and drawn two of their last nine games – a run of form which has seen Niko Kovac’s side go fourth in the Bundesliga and also progress to the semi-final of German Cup for the second year in a row.
Last season, they made it all the way to the final in Berlin where they were ultimately beaten by Borussia Dortmund – but it made for a much more exciting end to the season for fans who almost saw their team relegated the year before.
The Eagles have made steady progress under Kovac. After taking over in 2016, the Berlin-born former Croatian international and Bayern Munich midfielder first decided that defence was the best form of attack. Only five teams conceded fewer goals than Eintracht Frankfurt last season while only Bayern boast a tougher defence this time around.
“Black and white beats colourful shite.”
[Photo: @FasziFankurve]
Finding the net
In recent weeks, the Eagles have finally started to spread their wings and pose a threat in attack as well.
After failing to score more than two goals in a league game until January, Frankfurt have now found the net at least three times in three of their last five games. Sebastian Haller has proven to be one of the signings of the season, the French striker with eight league goals to his name already this season.
But the responsibility of scoring goals has begun to be shared more equally throughout the team. Against Cologne, Haller started on the bench as wide-men Ante Rebic and full-back Marius Wolf got among the goals, as did Marco Russ – the central defender who successfully underwent treatment for testicular cancer in 2016.
It’s a far cry from Frankfurt’s old reliance on club legend and Fußballgott Alex Meier – the club’s top scorer in four out of five seasons between 2011 and 2016.
Strong statements
Frankfurt have written positive headlines off the pitch too. Back in May, the club announced plans to expand the 51,500 capacity Waldstadion to 61,000 – including room for 20,000 standing fans on the north-west terrace.
“We’re currently unable to give younger people, or people who are less well-off, the chance to see Eintracht because only the expensive seats are left,” explained chairman Axel Hellmann. “I want to change that because football is the people’s game and Eintracht is firmly anchored in this region."
"We want to attract young people so that they don’t become Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund fans on the couch, but Eintracht fans because of the live experience.”
At last month’s AGM, the club announced that it had reached 50,000 members for the first time in its history – and 99% of them voted to re-elect longstanding club president Peter Fischer until 2022.
In December, Fischer had given an interview to the local Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in which he publicly criticised Germany’s far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) party, which won 12.6% of the vote at least year’s federal elections, as “incompatible” with Eintracht’s values.
#Frankfurt up to fourth as it stands though, Kovac's team finally adding goals to the second-best defence in the #Bundesliga. 👏🏼
Big tests to come
Back on the pitch, upcoming tests against Red Bull Leipzig (at home next week) and Borussia Dortmund (away next month) look likely to be decisive in determining whether Frankfurt have what it takes to make a serious claim for a top-four spot come the end of the season.
In the cup semi-final, they will be pleased to have avoided Bayern and will fancy their chances against Schalke.
The Eagles are flying high but, in manager Kovac and president Fischer, they have the right people in charge to ensure they keep their feet well and truly on the ground.
They’ll leave the dressing up and carnival celebrations to Mainz and Cologne, mired in a bitter relegation battle.
