A bearable defeat for Frankfurt, but a loud alarm signal

Not a lucky hand: Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller also made wrong decisions in Munich. IMAGO/Jan Huebner

With an average age of 23.59 years, Dino Toppmöller sent the youngest Eintracht starting eleven onto the pitch since the 34th matchday of the 1985/86 season. The last time VfB Stuttgart was younger was on November 12, 2022 (23.56 years). The low average age was due to the fact that the recently injured Mario Götze (32, cold) and Ellyes Skhiri (29, rib injury) initially only sat on the bench. However, there would have been the possibility of fielding the experienced Mahmoud Dahoud (29) instead of the overwhelmed Oscar Höjlund (20). According to data provider Opta , the Dane did not win a single duel.

FC Bayern gave the "young guns" a lesson. Incidentally, they also showed them how to run: with 124.28 kilometers, Bayern covered over five kilometers more than the underdog from Frankfurt (119.08 kilometers). The home team also had the advantage in the number of sprints (250:223). The Hessians were lucky that the recently injured world-class striker Harry Kane was not in the starting eleven. Otherwise, the result would probably have been even more significant.

We also lost a lot of money and paid a lot of tuition fees. We have to learn from that.

"We deserved to lose by such a large margin and paid a lot of tuition. We have to learn from that," summed up sporting director Markus Krösche. The daring in the first few minutes of the game, which culminated in Hugo Ekitiké's chance to take the lead (6th minute), quickly gave way to naive cowardice. Intensive forechecking was only evident in homeopathic doses. Determination and esprit were lacking. Eintracht acted like a rabbit in front of a snake.

"We wanted to put a lot of pressure on early on. I tried to keep pushing the boys forward," said Toppmöller on DAZN and analyzed: "The problem is: If we lose the ball relatively quickly after winning it, we lack the energy to keep going into these pressing moments. We weren't technically clean enough, we weren't clear enough in our offensive play."

But that's only half the truth. Ekitiké in particular seemed lethargic, almost listless, for long stretches and was emblematic of the weaknesses in the offensive game. The Frenchman did not force Bayern into one-on-one duels and failed to exploit his speed advantage. The equally quick Ansgar Knauff and Jean-Matteo Bahoya also hardly managed anything. Krösche also criticized the lack of depth in the game several times when he spoke to journalists in the mixed zone.

Toppmöller's tactical switch to a 4-4-2 fizzled out. The team currently seems to be more comfortable in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2. In a 3-4-2-1, Knauff could have played further forward in the half-space, as he did in the 2-0 win at home against Borussia Dortmund . That would have increased the likelihood of more depth in the game. Bahoya, on the other hand, is simply too green for a game like that.

However, the basic formation was not the deciding factor in the defeat; not a single player was able to perform at his best. That is worrying. You should be able to see that the team is fighting to get into the Champions League.

The only bright spot was Can Uzun , who set up Ekitiké's chance after Bahoya won the ball and had a few shots himself. Toppmöller did not have a lucky hand by taking the 19-year-old off at half-time. Uzun was the only player who could be trusted to play a ball behind the defense that day. Sacrificing him was an obvious mistake.

Joker Elye Wahi did not reveal why SGE paid 20 million euros for him. According to Toppmöller, the Frenchman was not yet considered for the starting eleven "for fitness reasons". That is not a good testimony for a professional athlete and is reminiscent of Ekitiké's major problems during his first few months in Frankfurt. Only 57 percent of Wahi's passes reached a teammate. He did not exude goal threat. But he did not have it easy either because there was no one there to send him deep.

As with Ekitiké, the speed advantage fizzled out. With fast players like Knauff, Bahoya, Ekitiké and Wahi, the team has to get behind the opposing defense much more often. Toppmöller urgently needs to work on this deficit. The naive build-up of play into Bayern's pressing is also a warning sign. That was reminiscent of the questionable performance in the 0:3 DFB Cup defeat in Leipzig . Why was nothing learned from that?

We crossed the line from courage to naivety one or two times too often and sometimes invited the opponent to score goals.

With skill, luck and passion, they managed to block a few dangerous shots from Bayern at least until the score was 0-1. Tuta and Rasmus Kristensen stood out positively, but after the break they were lost in the defensive chaos. "We made a lot of wrong decisions in all areas," complained Krösche. Toppmöller complained: "We crossed the line from courage to naivety one or two times too often and sometimes invited the opponent to score goals." There was no courage in Munich, however, more of recklessness.

A defeat against the league leaders is certainly not a disaster. "We should get our points against other opponents," says coach Toppmöller, rightly so. Points in Munich are always bonus points, which objectively speaking cannot be expected or even planned for. However, the manner of the defeat is an unmistakable alarm signal. As was heard on Monday, there will be a frank internal discussion this week. The dissatisfaction with the performance in Munich is greater than it seemed on Sunday evening.

Eintracht must improve considerably and show a different face against Leverkusen and Amsterdam. The two games in the Europa League against Ajax are particularly important. Ajax is no longer a top international team, as it was a few years ago. In terms of quality, Eintracht is better positioned. If they are knocked out in the round of 16 anyway, it would be a morale killer that could also have a negative impact on the rest of the season in the league. The starting position is excellent to achieve a lot this season. But Eintracht must always be on guard, otherwise they could lose a lot. It is still a fine line.