Gelson Fernandes: "I am an ideal partner for Eintracht Frankfurt"

Gelson Fernandes: "I am an ideal partner for Eintracht Frankfurt"

Thanks to Gelson Fernandes, Eintracht Frankfurt can play so aggressively with his coach Adi Hütter. Switzerland is indispensable for Hütter and a model for the field.

Markus Brütsch / CH Media

Once down, once up. Last Saturday, Adi Hütter shot two balls on the legendary goal wall of the "Current Sports Studio". That's good, but not brilliant, and would only spark a tired smile, five times the success of shooters like Günter Netzer (1974) and Rolf Fringer (1995).

However, Hütter made a good impression on his first visit to ZDF. This is not trivial when 2.07 million people watch television. Confident and yet modest, the Austrian declared the remarkable rise of the Concord of Frankfurt. And he had a lot on his face, as he did quite often in the spring in Bern after the championship of his Young Boys.

No doubt: Adi Hütter is also a very happy football coach in Germany. A few hours before his appearance in the cult show Mainz, his team won for the first time in Augsburg. After the twelfth match, she has four points behind Borussia Dortmund and a meter behind Borussia Mönchengladbach in third place. "It's only a snapshot – we have to keep the ball flat," says the 48-year-old, "but I'm not trying to slow down the euphoria."

Only victories in Europa League

This will also be on show tonight at Eintracht's reception of the Europa Olympic League in Marseille. After winning their first four games and qualifying for the sixteenth round already in the bag, the match against the French is a kind of show-off. The team of the economic metropolis is in fashion, showed in advance his last match against Lazio in Rome. 17,000 fans asked for one of the 5800 tickets within 24 hours. "It's fun to see that," says Hütter.

He was also proud of Young Boys fans. And that on him. "Of course, I'm still playing YB and I'm very happy to see how my course has continued," said the coach at CH Media's editorial success. "Gerry Seoane did a great job and made the leap into the Champions League." The team has not changed much and plays a style similar to that of his father. "She is incredibly dominant in the Super League and if she continues to play this way, the second consecutive title will become a reality," said Hütter.

Hütter counted with refusal

The Vorarlberger tells how he met Frankfurt manager Fredi Bobic early in the summer in Zurich and had a great conversation in a good atmosphere. "Then he said that he would call again in a week, and when he called then I was waiting for a refusal. I assumed that Eintracht would pick another coach." said Hütter. His joy was all the greater when he knew that Eintracht had chosen him.

The beginning of the new workplace became very difficult. Among the players who had won the Cup under predecessor Niko Kovac against Bayern Munich, the most successful players such as Lukas Hradecky, Omar Mascarell and Marius Wolf have succumbed to taunts from other clubs. Contract dissolved and gone to Sassuolo, saw a lot in black Frankfurt.

Stay calm despite criticism

They seemed to be right, as Eintracht in the Supercup against Bayern 0: 5 was eliminated and eliminated in the Cup against the fourth division Ulm. For the bookmakers, Hütter was at the head of these coaches whose seats were already beginning to waver. "The criticisms were justified," says Hütter, "we were a stack of hens against Bayern."

But he remained calm. "From the outside, I was on the point, but inside, I felt great confidence," describes Hütter at the time when, in the Bundesliga, after five matches, there were only four points left in the account. Hütter remained true to his philosophy and continued to play offensive football. First with a tip, then with two strikers and since the Stuttgart match even with three.

Good offense, good defense

From this moment on, the trio Luka Jovic, Sébastien Haller and Ante Rebic mix the league. 23 goals out of 29 go to his account. In Hessen, long memories of the legendary trident of the 1990s with Andy Möller, Uwe Bein and Anthony Yeboah woke up.

Frankfurt scored the second highest number of goals in the Bundesliga, but also conceded the third. "It fits, we are in balance, even defensively, it works well," says Hütter.

The Swiss Gelson Fernandes has an important part in this area. The 32-year-old captain rubs shoulders with Hütter, captain David Abraham (formerly FCB) and sports coach Werner Leuthard (FCB), one of four Swiss Frankfurters. He is indispensable in the defensive midfielder and placed under Hütter.

Honest, positive, a model

"Gelson is a player who, as a coach, makes me feel like he's acting like a coach-player on the pitch." Because he puts himself at the service of the team, because he's a leader, because he speaks several languages ​​and that the guys in the field divide very well, "enthuses Hütter.

And that's not all: "Gelson is a model in terms of commitment, management and combat readiness.He's a always positive guy.Even if he does not play, he has a Positive influence on the team.C is a 100% honest player and I'm glad he's with Eintracht Frankfurt, "said Hütter.

The intelligent analysis of Fernandes

"I too am happy to be here," said Gelson Fernandes. In his first season on the Main, he became in Frankfurt last May with the winner of the Frankfurt Cup, then celebrated in Frankfurt with 100,000 spectators an unforgettable party. "It was touching to feel how proud people are," says Fernandes.

Under Kovac, the 32-year-old candidate provides intelligent analysis, which is why he has become so valuable this season. He had already had a coach in FC Sion's offspring, who gave him some very good advice, explains Fernandes. He, Gelson, should always pay attention to playing in a club that has a powerful attack. Then his Abräumerqualitäten would be in the middle of the field. "So I'm perfectly suited to Eintracht," says Fernandes. "Here are three great forwards who score goals, but I'm running a lot, picking up the balls and keeping the team together."

It makes sense … but why is he so smart? "When I play in a team whose strikers do not score goals, everyone expects the danger to come from the middle of the field, but that is not my thing, so I'm not sure. I look old, as in 2013, when I came back to FC Sion for half a season. "

Fernandes knows how the rabbit works

Fernandes knows what he can do and, after making commitments with ten professional clubs, how does the hare work. "If our boys are going too well there, I'll be there to bring them back to the ground." As he had consulted Hütter, he said: "We have to keep the ball flat, there are only twelve rounds played in the Bundesliga, it is too early to talk about the title."

Fernandes congratulates Hütter for his social skills and says: "Adi has been beaten to be here, he has done great things with YB and deserves to be a Bundesliga coach."