Europe not in our own hands
©IMAGO
Eintracht Frankfurt’s coach Albert Riera, who was recently heavily criticized, will apparently also be in the coaching bench in the last game of the season against VfB Stuttgart. This was confirmed by Eintracht sports director Markus Krösche after the 2-3 defeat at Borussia Dortmund. Krösche did not want to comment on the Spaniard’s future. “We lost the game today and that is of course extremely annoying. And now it’s about us all winning a game together against Stuttgart,” said the manager.
The defeat in Dortmund was the third in the last four games without a win. Eintracht is in danger of missing out on participation in international business. “My players will give everything until my last day here, more than 100 percent, I can promise that,” emphasized Riera on “Sky” after the game. The problem is not the game today. “You need time, three months is actually not enough,” explained the 44-year-old. He took over the coaching position in Frankfurt at the beginning of February. According to reports, the signs point to a separation in the summer. The “Bild” even writes that there are supposed to be trends in the club not to give Rieri the last game of the season.
In order to qualify for a place in European competition, Frankfurt not only has to score points against Stuttgart, but also hope for mistakes from neighbors Freiburg, who are visiting Hamburger SV on Sunday. “What should I say from my side?” said Riera. “Time is the key in life. So if I have the time, I will continue to improve this team because I know how to do that. If I don’t have the time, all I can do is try to get the best out of all of us in every single game.”
In the press conference, when asked about his future, the coach emphasized: “It is not my decision, but that of the club.” He can only influence the team and concentrate on that. “The rest is out of my hands. But I feel that when I have time, it has always been the case for me that the best moment came after three or four months. I need trust, I need time and that we all pull together.” But he also knows that there isn’t always time in football, explained Riera and concluded with the words: “I personally feel very strong and am optimistic about the future in order to solve this situation and show many performances like today.”
