Glasner brushes off questions about Barcelona and squad rotations
Eintracht Frankfurt trainer Oliver Glasner has some interesting squad calls to make ahead of Saturday's league fixture at home against SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Not necessarily known as one for squad rotations, Glaser did drop some hints that he was prepared to give some of the seasoned pros time off after the international break and ahead of next week's Europa League clash with FC Barcelona.
The SGE head-coach still warned against overlooking the upcoming Bundesliga opponents.
When it comes to the question of who will anchor his three-man back-line against Fürth on Saturday, SGE trainer Oliver Glasner didn't have to think terribly hard. Martin Hinteregger--out on accumulated yellow suspension--will be replaced by veteran Makoto Hasebe. Glasner made no effort to hide this fact at his Thursday presser.
Not necessarily known as one for squad rotations, Glaser did drop some hints that he was prepared to give some of the seasoned pros time off after the international break and ahead of next week's Europa League clash with FC Barcelona.
The SGE head-coach still warned against overlooking the upcoming Bundesliga opponents.
"He [Hasebe] absolutely deserves it," Glasner said of the 38-year-old.
Glasner was less committal about many of his other players returning from international duty. Jesper Lindstrøm (Denmark), Kristijan Jakic (Croatia), and Ansgar Knauff (Germany U21s) might presumably be candidates for a reduced workload. Lead striker Rafael Santos Borré--who had to fly halfway across the world to represent Colombia--almost certainly seems in line for a day out of the starting XI.
The SGE head-coach kept tight-lipped about all of them, merely remarking that "many come back from their national teams carrying positive experiences." One can infer that Glasner assumes that these experiences also translate to extra energy. If the trainer once again puts a tired and unimaginative team on the pitch, however, there will be more criticism of his frequently steadfast refusal to rotate.
Eintracht runs the risk of underestimating the league's last-placed team as SpVgg Greuther Fürth pays a visit to Deutsche Bank Park. It did, after all, take a last-minute goal to overcome Fürth in the reverse fixture. Plenty of current SpVgg players with a Frankfurt past--captain Branimir Hrgota, discarded fullback Jetro Willems, and former SGE youth academy products Luca Itter and Marco Meyerhöfer--roll into town with points to prove.
Members of the assembled press corps didn't seem terribly interested in talking Fürth either. Time and again, Glasner had to answer questions about which players he planned to rest ahead of the Barça duel.
"The best thing we can do for Barcelona is win against Fürth," Glasner finally said.