Glasner speaks on Max and squad rotations, Schwarz hints Cigerci is ready to start
By Peter Vice @ViceytheSS
Ahead of their coming weekend fixture, Eintracht Frankfurt head-coach Oliver Glasner and Hertha trainer Sandro Schwarz obviously found themselves in very different moods at their respective pressers on Thursday.
Glasner spoke on the future starting prospects of the newly-acquired Philipp Max and confirmed there would be some rotations in midfield and the bcc-three.
A harried-lookin Schwarz had to answer questions about whether he was ready to pitch his entire system.
Glasner spoke on the future starting prospects of the newly-acquired Philipp Max and confirmed there would be some rotations in midfield and the bcc-three.
A harried-lookin Schwarz had to answer questions about whether he was ready to pitch his entire system.
| Oliver Glasner. |
Eintracht trainer Oliver Glasner understandably had a different set of questions to answer than counterpart Sandro Schwarz. The mood was jovial in Frankfurt. Glasner was asked what precisely it was that made his team "so sexy". The SGE gaffer joked that it must be him.
As for the starting prospects of Max, Glasner dropped hints that it would be the long term plan to give the 29-year-old a regular starting place at the left wingback position. For now, Glasner merely confirmed that the Bundesliga veteran would be in the squad.
"Philipp was integrated into training straight away," Glasner noted, "He knows several players from his Bundesliga days and is familiar with Mario [Götze] from his time at PSV. I'm not sure if I'll start him just yet."
Glasner will be making some rotations ahead of the coming "English Weeks" that shall see his team play midweek fixtures. A very important DFB Pokal cup tie against local rivals SV Darmstadt 98 beckons on Tuesday before the Champions' League resumes.
Having opted for 32-year-old Sebastian Rode and 39-year-old Makoto Hasebe in the starting XI against Bayern last weekend, Glasner essentially confirmed that the elder pairing would be rotated in-and-out during the coming weeks.
Hrvoje Smolcic and Daichi Kamada are the presumed ones to take their place. After Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe's injury, Max should probably take the place of the rotating cast of wingbacks that included Ansgar Knauff, Christopher Lenz and Kristijan Jakic.
"We always look at who harmonizes with each other," Glasner stated, "Nevertheless, it is important that younger players slip into the role of responsibility."
Over in the German capital, Hertha BSC trainer Sandro Schwarz was asked if he had smoothed things over adequately with attacker Dodi Lukebakio after a number of clubs reportedly tried to bully the Hertha front office into giving him up. Schwarz divulged that he had spoken with the Belgian.
"It's normal for a player to deal with a request [at this time of year]," Schwarz said, "I talked with him and told him that we expect a better performance from him too."
Schwarz also noted that, despite a "turbulent and wild last few days", new signing Tolga Cigerci had "absorbed the tactical rhythm" and might be ready for an immediate start. The Hertha gaffer let it slip that he was considering a wholesale tactical change.
"It [a complete system change] is an option," Schwarz noted, "If you have solid central midfielders and are missing players on the wing, it makes sense."