“We all have a duty” | OneFootball

Board member for sport Markus Krösche discusses the dismissal of Dino Toppmöller, the timing and the reasons as well as the next steps.

Board member for sport Markus Krösche on…

… the tenure of Dino Toppmöller: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Dino and his coaching staff. They did excellent work over two and a half years and became the first coaching team in the club’s history to lead Eintracht to the Champions League via the Bundesliga. Dino Toppmöller has developed a lot of players and always put Eintracht Frankfurt first. This period will always bind us.”

… the dismissal of some of the coaching team: “On Sunday, we came to the conclusion that we had to part ways because the developments of recent weeks and months were such that we no longer believed we could successfully continue on this path. The reasons are always multifaceted and relate to a number of factors. The biggest issue is that we’ve been conceding far too many goals, which have followed a certain pattern. We were no longer convinced that the coaching team could find the solutions to rectify that. The development in our defensive play has been stagnant, if not regressive.”

… the timing of the decision: “We have two games left in the Champions League, in which, if everything comes together, we want to qualify for the play-offs. We also have pretty much the entire second half of the season ahead of us, in which we want to continue pursuing the objectives we have as a club: qualifying for European competition. At the end of the day, we as the people in charge must take responsibility and make decisions for the club and our objectives. Unfortunately, this means that individual fates cannot always be taken into account.”

… the plan of action now: “In the short term, Dennis Schmitt will take over until further notice. He’ll be supported by Alex Meier and Jan Fießer, who remains from the old coaching team. We’ll go to Baku with them and want to win there so that we’re in a good position for the home game against Tottenham.”

… his personal expectations: “When a coach is dismissed, everyone shares responsibility for the situation: players, staff and also myself. When we don’t perform at our best, it’s never a single issue. The same applies in the event of success. We all have a duty. We don’t have any extreme expectations for the new coaching setup. The crucial thing is that everyone is aware of his role. For the players that means: what’s my position, how should I carry it out, what’s asked of me?”

… Dennis Schmitt: “Dennis has been with us for a long time as U21 coach, has just finished his coaching badges, and gained a degree of experience at a higher level as assistant coach and recently as head coach. I think we can tackle certain issues with him and provide new impetus. He’s certainly a young coach but also a very talented one.”

… the profile of the new Eintracht head coach: “Our aim is always to play in Europe and we want a coach who plays a certain brand of football: attacking, brave, with the right balance. He also need to be capable of and willing to develop players.”