Dino Toppmöller defends Eintracht Frankfurt defensive record in interview | OneFootball

Former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmöller has defended his defensive record at the Bundesliga club, arguing that the disastrous final months of his tenure created a misleading impression of his work. Toppmöller – currently the head coach of RC Lens – spoke to France’s L’Équipe about his previous Bundesliga assignment.

Toppmöller pointed out that Frankfurt possessed the Bundesliga’s sixth-best defence during his first season and the fifth-best during his second.

His third campaign ended very differently. Frankfurt had conceded a league-high 39 goals through 18 fixtures when Toppmöller’s position came under serious threat. The 3–3 draw with Werder Bremen that preceded his dismissal also exposed significant structural weaknesses, as examined in Get German Football News’ detailed tactical review.

Toppmöller nevertheless believes important squad-planning decisions contributed to the decline.

“In my first two years in Frankfurt, we had the sixth- and fifth-best defences, respectively,” the 45-year-old said. “But in the third season, we had sold our best defender, Willian Pacho [actually sold ahead of the 2024/25 campaign] and didn’t replace him, against my advice. On top of that, our starting goalkeeper Kevin Trapp transferred to Paris FC.”

Trapp’s departure was officially confirmed shortly before the season, leaving Frankfurt to begin the campaign with a significantly altered defensive spine.

Toppmöller also cited Frankfurt’s extraordinary 6–4 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach as an example of raw statistics obscuring the wider context.

Frankfurt led 6–0 after an hour before Toppmöller made five substitutions with an upcoming Champions League fixture in mind. Gladbach scored four late goals, prompting renewed criticism of the Eagles’ inability to manage matches despite the emphatic result.

“I was criticized for that, but if you don’t rotate the lineup in a situation like that, when should you?” Toppmöller asked rhetorically.

The defensive problems did not immediately disappear after his dismissal. Markus Krösche continued to complain that Frankfurt were repeating the same basic mistakes, while interim coach Dennis Schmitt acknowledged that the recurring patterns required time, analysis, and training.

Frankfurt later conceded three goals for the fifth consecutive match in a 1–3 defeat to Hoffenheim.

GGFN | Peter Weis