“Create as many chances as possible” | OneFootball

Albert Riera on upcoming opponents Union, Eintracht’s final training session and his impression of the Eagles so far.

Eintracht Frankfurt kick off Bundesliga Matchday 21 away to Union Berlin on Friday evening (kick-off 20:30 CET) in a fixture that also represents Albert Riera’s debut as the Eagles’ head coach. 

At the pre-match press conference, Riera discussed...

… Eintracht’s final training session before the game: “I would like to apologise for being late. Discipline is the most important thing. But we don’t have a lot of time, and we want to make the most of what we have. That’s my responsibility. Now I feel like I’ve passed on everything I wanted to the players. All of the patterns and rules that we need on the pitch: in defence, in attack, our game plan. I’ve seen a lot of things we need to address, which is why it took a bit longer. But now I’m happy and full of anticipation because I feel like I’ve done everything to make sure the team play well on Friday. You don’t have any time in football. We need to be ready, and I feel like we are.”

… what he worked on in training this week: “Everything: attacking, defending, our build-up play, pressing. In this game it’s about goals, so we have to create as many chances as possible.”

… personnel: “I don’t want to give anything away – not about the goalkeeper, centre-backs or anyone else, because the element of surprise is very important.”

… the starting XI: “We’ve already simulated the game against Union. I know what the starting line-up will be. In my opinion, telling the players one day before the game is ideal. Three days beforehand is too much, an hour before is too little.”

… his impression of the team: “The boys have a glint in their eyes. That’s important to me. We had a meeting that lasted over an hour and 35 minutes. It went on until I was sure the players had understood. Only then did we go out on to the pitch and put it all into practice.”

… Union Berlin: “Union Berlin use a lot of long balls and win a lot of second balls. There are different ways of being successful in football. Everyone has their own style; mine is different. If the ball is in the air, the chances are 50-50 for both teams. I don’t want 50-50, I want to have the ball. We prefer a very different style. That’s why this opponent isn’t exactly the ideal one for my debut, but actually a big challenge straight away: they deliberately force lots of situations that lead to second balls, chaos and confusion. But when we have the ball, it’s entirely up to us to carry out our plan. What matters is our belief in it. I have that belief.”