Zetterer gets to work | OneFootball

Eintracht’s new keeper was flinging himself at footballs and tennis balls in the Eagles’ first training session of the week.

After signing his contract with Eintracht, new signing Michael Zetterer headed straight to the training pitches outside Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday morning. On a sunny day in Frankfurt, the 30-year-old was given his first taste of the ‘Zimbo School’ while the 23 outfield players were put through their paces in a fitness circuit. Goalkeeping coach Jan Zimmerman and goalkeeping match analyst Jonas Gabi once again adopted some alternative training methods, with Zetterer, Kaua Santos and Jens Grahl testing each other’s abilities in one-v-one situations. After each goal or save, Gabi fired three tennis balls towards goal in quick succession. Despite the difficulty of the task, Zetterer and his colleagues impressed with their razor-sharp reflexes, often managing to get their hands on at least one of the yellow balls.

Meanwhile, fit-again Mario Götze, Nathaniel Brown and Ellyes Skhiri were once again part of the outfield group after returning to full training last Wednesday. The trio were left out of the squad for Sunday’s DFB Cup victory over FV Engers, but instead took part in an internal friendly match.

When asked about vice-captain Götze in Koblenz, head coach Dino Toppmöller replied: “Mario has been injured for a long time. He was out for over three months and gradually got up to speed again during pre-season. We’ve deliberately kept him on a completely different workload compared to the other lads this week. For him, Nene and Ellyes, the focus last week was on getting energy and power into their bodies for a tough year ahead.”

The internal game gave the trio a chance to make “another week of progress”, according to Toppmöller. “The season is incredibly long,” added the Eagles boss. “I obviously want a fit Mario Götze in the squad and on the pitch at all times. We’ll have to make a decision [on his involvement against Werder Bremen] together this week.”