“We’re looking forward to our Bundesliga opener” | OneFootball

At the press conference ahead of Eintracht’s opening league game of the new season, Adi Hütter answered questions on personnel, opponents Union Berlin and the Eagles’ approach.

Speaking ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Bundesliga opener against 1. FC Union Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, head coach Adi Hütter spoke about …

… training this week: “We’ve been working on things we still need to improve and have focused on preparing for our opponents. We can still improve in all areas. We’ve been working together for six or seven weeks now, and of course, not everything is exactly the way I’d like it to be yet. A lot has changed, though, including switching our basic formation from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-2-2. It doesn’t all happen overnight. The lads are working extremely hard.”

… personnel: “We decided to take Jonny Burkardt off [against St. Tönis], but he trained with the team on Thursday and I’m expecting him to be available on Saturday. Hugo Larsson and Ritsu Doan have picked up minor muscle issues – they’ll sit this one out as a precaution. Noel Aseko is training every day and making great progress. He’s in contention for a place in the squad on Saturday, or next weekend at the latest.” 

… Ansgar Knauff’s injury: “Every injury is tough to take. He hurt his thigh during the week. It’s difficult to give an exact diagnosis at this stage – muscle injuries are never easy to assess.”

… the state of play: “We’re looking forward to our Bundesliga opener. I always feel confident in our ability to win games. It’s clear that we’re going to need a top performance as well as strength and physicality. We have to take control of the game from the very first minute and show our quality.”

… Union Berlin: “I know Berlin coach Mauro Lustrinelli from my time in Switzerland. He comfortably led Thun to the title last season, which was quite an achievement. They try to get the ball forward quickly with a no-nonsense, direct style of football. We need to be prepared for a lot of long throw-ins, a lot of balls into our area, and a very dynamic game. Berlin’s basic formation is similar to ours, but with a slightly different style of play.”