In Frankfurt, it wasn’t just Elye Wahi who was in trouble. The French striker (since leaving for Nice) is regularly at the heart of criticism, but Dino Toppmöller also ended up paying the price of a series of matches without victories (the club remains on a series of eight matches without success) and of a team too apathetic for the tastes of Eintracht fans. After two and a half years of good and loyal service, the 45-year-old German was asked to pack his bags. To replace him, the leaders of Eintracht surprised everyone by choosing Albert Riera. The 43-year-old former Spanish midfielder is not unknown. Having passed through Mallorca, Bordeaux, Manchester City, Liverpool, Olympiacos, Galatasaray and even Udinese, the native of Manacor had a more than decent career.
On the other hand, few people said to themselves that his coaching career would lead him to find a position in one of the top 5 European championships. Riera spent almost his entire coaching career in Slovenia, at Olimpija Ljubljana and NK Celje. He also briefly spent time with Bordeaux during the 2023-2024 season at the end of which the Marine et Blanc were relegated to the National. Experiences a priori far from being significant to open the doors to the double winner of the C3 (1980, 2022). Indeed, if we take a look at the coaches who preceded Riera for ten years, we see that Eintracht has, each time, gone to hire a technician who was perhaps not the best known in the media, but who came from a team recognized in Europe. Dino Toppmöller arrived from Bayern Munich, Oliver Glasner arrived from Wolsfburg, Adi Hütter had been poached from Young Boys, Niko Kovac was coming out of a stint at the head of the Croatian selection and Armin Veh had traveled to Wolfsburg, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
A break wanted by Eintracht
Why then did you choose Riera? Present at a press conference alongside his new coach, sports director Markus Krösche explained himself. “He brings confidence, a positive attitude and a clear vision that is transmitted to the team. The atmosphere is good, there is a real excitement, everyone is enthusiastic. This is important for taking the next steps. Everyone wants to move forward together. We all speak English here, so it’s not a problem. Therefore, the decision to hire an international coach is nothing extraordinary.” As a whole, the German press thinks that Eintracht wanted to give its team a good kick in the butt by inducting a coach with a strong character, even if it meant displeasing them. “With Albert Riera, Eintracht Frankfurt deliberately breaks with its recent past and opts for a coach who leaves no one indifferent. After the departure of Dino Toppmöller, considered too reserved and incapable of creating a bond with the team, both tactically and emotionally, the club management is now banking on maximum presence on the sidelines.writes Spox. A trend confirmed by our colleague from Football TransfersDominik Sandler.
“Dino Toppmöller was a very “down-to-earth” coach, he didn’t show a lot of emotion, remained calm and focused on tactics. But the team lacked confidence and emotion, it seemed “dead”. Albert Riera’s first impressions are therefore very positive. From his first practice yesterday, he showed the team in a very authentic way how to regain confidence. Today, during the press conference, he explained that he believes in the team’s abilities. I think he will quickly achieve positive results, because he knows how to touch the team with his emotions. I don’t know if it will be a long-term success, but he has a workable program with opponents who are not the strongest. Regardless, Riera attracts a lot of attention from her first steps. The media and fans are very enthusiastic about him, even though no one really knows him. A very interesting choice for Frankfurt. I think Frankfurt had to act quickly because the team was no longer functioning at all and needed a radical change. However, sporting director Markus Krösche is not known for acting hastily, so he will have recruited Riera with medium-term success in mind. Frankfurt is synonymous with attractive football, so Riera fits the desired profile well. However, he must first overcome his emotions, then he can try to teach his style of play to the players..
With Riera, things are moving!
An energetic coach who has obviously already imposed his rules in the locker room. Thus, Albert Riera put in place 3 rules at Eintracht Frankfurt. “I impose rules on everyone. There are golden rules here: first, we are human beings first and foremost – and human beings in our profession – we respect each other in the locker room. Secondly, the way you train is the way you play. Third, ask yourself the essential question: what can you bring to the team with and without the ball?he confided during his press conference this Tuesday. And if a player doesn’t follow the rules, they will have to pay a fine or spin the wheel of possible punishments such as cleaning the team’s cleats or helping the groundskeeper or a staff member. And that’s not all. “We now have six captains. I only made this decision yesterday. I like to surround myself with people who have character, who have leadership qualities. We have leaders, we have character”also declared the Spaniard. You will have understood, with Riera, things are already shaking, even if the former Bordeaux player mainly wants to breathe life back into this team losing confidence.
“Players want solutions and a clear vision of the actions to be taken, which is precisely what I will address. I want to convince them of their strength, give them confidence in their qualities and help them develop this confidence. I am very motivated. We have all the assets of a great club. I encourage boys not to be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are not a problem, they are part of the process. We must take risks and develop self-confidence without doubting ourselves. We want to see progress in every game. The main thing is that the team continues to progress, believes in our plans and consistently implements them. In Slovenia, I left behind an organized and disciplined team, and I am proud of it. Now I want to build something here and get the best results possible. In two or three weeks, we may be able to address the question of ranking goals. For now, I’m focusing on our game. We have to perform game after game. I am not concerned about the result at the moment, but above all about our game and the points to improve”he declared, before continuing, sure of himself.
“My players will follow me, there is no alternative. I am very optimistic. We need to change our perspective from a pessimistic and accusatory view to a solution-oriented approach. I have worked with many coaches, but in the end you have to do what you feel and what you believe in. I want to be consistent and direct. I think the team will get used to the processes quickly. The players are the most important thing. I manage them, but they are my arms and my legs. The first defender is the attacker. We will not play passively and will be very aggressive without the ball. The atmosphere in the stadium is great, that’s also why we love this sport. (…) I believe in my ideas. The concept must be solid. Players want options and solutions. They need to know what I should do. Confidence is essential for a player. My players must be intelligent, they must understand the game. (…) I am ready. I have everything planned. I have no excuse.” Now on to the field with two matches against teams from the soft underbelly of the ranking (Union Berlin, Borussia Mönchengladbach), before the big shock against Bayern Munich on February 21.
