Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sporting Director, Markus Krösche, has substantiated his sobering assessment of the club’s season, taking significant blame upon himself.
This includes the failure of former coach Albert Riera, who was sacked. «I put him in a situation where he had very little chance of success,» Krösche stated at the season-ending press conference. He described the Spaniard’s appointment as «my wrong decision. My misjudgment,» thereby accepting responsibility for missing out on European qualification.
Krösche confessed that when signing Riera, he acted against his own convictions. «The most important principle I disregarded: If you have to change the coach during the season, don’t bring in a coach who doesn’t know the league and lacks the experience.» Why did this happen? «I had a feeling and conviction. I always act based on conviction. It was so strong that I disregarded the principle of caution.»
Krösche explicitly clarified that his misjudgment was not related to the former coach’s character: «It was intended to have a strong personality, a leader. I was not mistaken in that regard.»
Markus Krösche Thought of Xabi Alonso
He stated that he never considered leaving the club at any point. «The last few years have been very successful, we have achieved many things. Unfortunately, a year like this sometimes happens,» he said. «But I am not someone who runs away. We have to go through this together, initiate the right things, get to work, and move forward.»
Krösche was not very specific about the search for a successor and the timeline. He revealed that the club wants to «find a solution promptly or commit to someone,» adding, «We are in discussions.» He emphasized the importance of filling the position soon with an eye on preparing for the new season. He sidestepped questions about the ideal personality profile, stating, «It’s about gaining stability. Finding someone who has a clear idea of how he wants to play and achieving a mix of transition and possession football.»
Conversely, Krösche chuckled when addressing a rumor from the last coaching search. «Xabi Alonso was certainly on my mind,» he openly admitted. «But I didn’t call Xabi.»