From the hard shoulder to the fast lane: The reasons for Frankfurt’s dream start

Sometimes in football it’s like in meteorology. Lightning and thunder cannot be predicted in the long term any more than weeks of sunshine can be predicted. “Very negative clouds” were still hanging over Frankfurt in the spring, as goalkeeper Kevin Trapp aptly put it at the time. Sixth place was a bright spot in the end, but the often bumpy performances and few successes in the second half of the season (four wins, eight draws, five defeats) caused unmistakable grumbling in those around them. After the 34th matchday, sports director Markus Krösche left the future of coach Dino Toppmöller open. A clear commitment was only made following an internal review.

After four Bundesliga wins in a row and the best start to the season in twelve years, the sadness has disappeared. On Thursday, Eintracht will also bag their first win in the Europa League against Besiktas in Istanbul. Three days later, she could even take first place in the Bundesliga with a three-pointer in the top game against FC Bayern. Even if the table naturally doesn’t have much informative value this early in a season, it is still unmistakable that Frankfurt has moved from the hard shoulder to the fast lane. Kicker highlights the reasons for the sporting upswing.