Glasner lauds Hasebe: "Makoto can always be relied upon."
At his Wednesday presser, Eintracht Frankfurt head-coach Oliver Glasner made sure to single out veteran Makoto Hasebe for stepping it up in last night's Champions League victory.
The possibility that the 38-year-old may anchor the back-three again this weekend against Stuttgart certainly exists.
The possibility that the 38-year-old may anchor the back-three again this weekend against Stuttgart certainly exists.
| Makoto Hasebe. | Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Thirty-eight-year old Makoto Hasebe started in his first Champions' League match in nearly 13 years. The Japanese defender last represented a German club on Europe's grand stage some 4,662 days ago as a VfL Wolfsburg player. A raft of injuries and complete disgust with how his team performed over the weekend against Wolfsburg forced Glasner into a brave gambit. Surprisingly enough, it worked.
Hasebe stepped right up to anchor a back-three comprised of Tuta and Evan N'dicka from an advanced pivot position. Defending against the Marseille onslaught was no easy task, but the grizzled veteran made it happen against hungry former Bundesliga players Amine Harit and Mateo Guendouzi.
"Makoto deserves a special mention," Glasner said on Wednesday "My compliments! After weeks without match practice, he defended confidently and radiated calm in possession. I had no concerns because I see him every day in training. Makoto can always be relied upon, as a player and as a person."
Eintracht's tactics in the Tuesday night affair were interesting in their own right. Ansgar Knauff and Kristijan Jakic worked as wingbacks for the first time this season. Daichi Kamada dropped back to pair with Djibril Sow in midfield. Mario Götze shifted out to the left wing again opposite Jesper Lindstrøm behind Randal Kolo Muani.
It's not inconceivable at all that Glasner will roll with the exact same constellation in Sunday's league encounter at Stuttgart. The SGE gaffer is notrious for never switching tactics or rotating personnel when he stumbles upon something that works.
Hasebe - affectionately dubbed "Methuselah" by his Eintracht teammates - has made 426 appearances for his three Bundesliga clubs (Wolfsburg, Nürnberg, and Frankfurt) across all competitions over the past 15 years.