Djibril Sow content to stay at Frankfurt and fight for starting place
Twenty-three year old Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow sat down for a media round with reporters on Wednesday.
The talented young Swiss international insisted that, despite strong competition for a place in the starting XI, he still felt Frankfurt remained the right club for him.
It came as quite the surprise to many to see Djibril Sow get the nod in midfield last weekend against Leipzig. The start likely constituted an aberration, with the injured Sebastian Rode serving as trainer Adi Hütter's first-choice for the position. Sow lost his regular place in the Adler XI last spring after the corona restart.
The talented young Swiss international insisted that, despite strong competition for a place in the starting XI, he still felt Frankfurt remained the right club for him.
"The start after the corona break was not good," Sow recalled, "I then lost my self confidence and fell into a hole."
Breaking back into the lineup shall prove quite difficult this season. Hütter prefers a more natural sixes like Rode, Dominik Kohr, and Stefan Ilsanker in his preferred 3-5-2 set up. This has effectively cut Sow out of the loop.
"After every weekend on which one doesn't play, the frustration mounts," Sow explained, "but you have to pull yourself together again quickly. The frustration has encouraged me to work harder. One can do a lot more in training when one isn't playing."
Sow maintains a history with Hütter, with whom he won the Swiss league in 2018. Moreover, he retains confidence from his new regular role with the Swiss national team. He's featured in all seven matches since September.
"I feel very comfortable with the [Eintracht] team," Sow noted, "This is a really cool club with a lot of potential. I would find it very difficult to leave Frankfurt because this is a really top club, especially for a young player."
For his part, SGE Sporting CEO Fredi Bobic had great words of praise for Sow in an early November interview with German footballing magazine Kicker. The 49-year-old executive labeled Sow "a player whom we are sure will continue to develop in the right direction and take the next step with us."
"This phase can only serve to strengthen me," Sow said of his time on the bench, "When I come through it, I'll be all the more proud at having traversed this step."