“The key lies with us” | OneFootball

Ahead of Eintracht’s trip to Augsburg, Albert Riera spoke about the Eagles’ position in the table, delivered a personnel update and shared his thoughts on the opposition.

Eintracht Frankfurt face FC Augsburg at the WWK Arena on Bundesliga Matchday 31. Kick-off on Saturday afternoon is at 15:30 CEST.At Friday’s pre-match press conference, head coach Albert Riera answered questions on…

… Eintracht’s approach: “It’s important for us to be in good shape. Augsburg are another strong side. They’re playing at home, where they haven’t lost a lot of games. They key lies with us – I’m happy to say that after our week on the training pitch. It’s the best one we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

… Augsburg: “Against Leverkusen, they defended in a low block in a 5-4-1 formation. We’ll need to be very patient, we’re ready for that. We’ve been preparing for this game for quite a while and will probably have more of the ball. If we lose it, even in the opposition penalty area, I want to see us react immediately.”

… the table: “When I started out in Frankfurt, it was a two-horse race with Freiburg, who are having an exceptional season. They’re above us now, we’re one point behind. We have to accept that. If we don’t give our all, we have to take the criticism. We want to and are capable of improving, forming a strong defensive unit and creating plenty of chances. The players have all given me a good impression. We’re going to need that energy and passion, and hopefully we’ll see it right from the start.”

… dealing with the Leipzig defeat: “It’s not about criticism but about finding solutions. We’ve been finishing our training sessions in good spirits and are aware of our mistakes. Against Leipzig, we applied the same things as in our previous three home games – which we all won without conceding a goal. When we were winning, everything was fantastic. Now, everything looks bad. It wasn’t all perfect in the 2-1 win at Wolfsburg, but it wasn’t all catastrophic against Leipzig either. Every storm is followed by calm. We need to be patient.”

… personnel: “Kaua Santos, Nnamdi Collins and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya are still out of the picture. Everyone else is available.” 

… the starting XI: “I make my decisions based on the opposition. Against Leipzig, we were expecting a more open game. Against Augsburg, we’ll likely be facing a side who sit deep, so it’ll be more about one-touch passing. I’ll pick my team accordingly.” 

… the Eintracht fans: “Our fans are incredibly loyal – they’re just fantastic. When I say football is about entertainment, I mean we have to give our all for our supporters. If we had an allocation of 15,000, then 15,000 would travel [to Augsburg, who gave Eintracht 3,000 tickets]. People pay good money for their tickets, so we need to deliver and offer them something to ensure they enjoy the game. That’s my message.”