Eintracht Frankfurt Returns To Form Ahead Of Crucial Napoli Clash

Eintracht Frankfurt is back to winning ways ahead of a crucial Champions League tie against Serie A leaders Napoli. On Saturday, Frankfurt defeated Werder Bremen 2-0 in the Topspiel 2-0 thanks to an own goal by Marco Friedl (8’) and star striker Randal Kolo Muani (52’). It was an important win after Frankfurt lost to Köln last week (3-0).

The game further underlined Eintracht’s home strength. Frankfurt has now won their last five games at home, scoring 16 goals in the process. Not surprisingly, there was a sense of optimism and anticipation with Napoli visiting on Tuesday.

“I’m very pleased with our performance,” Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner said after the game. “Great credit to my team for how alert and disciplined they were today. Every win helps and gives us confidence.”

Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp underlined the importance of beating Werder ahead of playing Napoli. “It was a very commanding win,” Trapp said. “We controlled the game from the first to the last minute and scored nice goals. Bremen never really threatened, which is testament to our game. That should give us a lot of confidence. We wanted a confidence boost today for Tuesday, which will be a very different game. A tough task is coming our way—we’re ready.”

It was indeed a dominant performance. Labeled as the duel of the Bundesliga’s top strikers Kolo Muani (10 goals and 12 assists) and Werder’s Niclas Füllkrug (13 goals and 3 assists), the visiting team from Bremen never seemed to get into the game, and Frankfurt would finish the game with an xG of 2.07 to 0.24—mirroring the actual result on the pitch.

The game against Werder highlighted what has made Frankfurt a problematic side to play against. The Eagles outran their opponent, collecting 127.4 kilometers, 7.4 kilometers more than their opponent Werder. Four out of the five players with the most kilometers run during the game were Frankfurt players, with Daichi Kamada leading the field with 12.9 kilometers covered during the full 90 minutes.

Speaking of kilometers covered, Frankfurt’s most important player remains Mario Götze. Playing primarily in a no.8 role, the German national team player is in the form of his life and leads all Bundesliga players with 238.6 kilometers run this season.

In other words, Frankfurt is at its best when it can outwork its opponents doing so by happily handing over possession. Werder dominated the match with 53% possession and completed 82% of their 602 passes. In comparison, Frankfurt played just 479 passes, completing 81%.

Instead of relying on possession, Frankfurt tries to keep opponents to the ball in non-dangerous areas, quickly switching to the attack when winning the ball. The likes of Götze and Kamada then unleash quick players like Ansgar Knauff or newly signed Philipp Max.

Max had a fantastic game against Werder, and the former PSV Eindhoven wing-back might finally fill the void left by Filip Kostić, who joined Juventus last summer. “In Philipp Max, we’ve gained an extra left-footer on the left,” Glasner said after the game. “He showed what he’s capable of, but Ansgar also did very well on the opposite flank.”

Knauff was also happy with the performance against Werder and admitted that it was important that the club added a quality player like Max in the winter. “We have a high level of quality in training, and in the squad, everyone’s in perfect form, so everyone has to be at 100% to get into the team, which is motivation to work even harder,” Knauff said.

That added depth is essential as Frankfurt’s high pace game comes with the price of attrition. The Eagles have shown in the last couple of years that going deep in more than one competition is difficult, and the club abandoned the Bundesliga at one point last year to focus on the Europa League, which they ended up winning.

At one point, the club might have to make a similar decision this year. Champions League football will be paramount to keep the squad together next season, and Frankfurt might soon switch the complete focus to the Bundesliga.

That does not mean Napoli will be given free passage at the Deutsche Bank Park on Tuesday. Nonetheless, the Italians will be the favorites in their current form, which Frankfurt will be more than happy with as it would likely favor their style of play.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth