“Eintracht veteran explains Frankfurt’s downfall”

Eintracht Frankfurt has been waiting for a win for eight Bundesliga games and has fallen to ninth place in the table. Instead of qualifying for the Champions League again, the Hessians are threatened with a year without a European Cup. Captain and veteran Makoto Hasebe has now spoken about the supposed causes of the crash in the second half of the season.

The 39-year-old, who has signed a new contract with Eintracht until the summer of 2024, explained in “Sport Bild” that there are several reasons for his team’s sporting descent.

“A lot of things come together. Sometimes it’s a lack of concentration, and the opponents have also adapted better to us,” said the defender, who with ten appearances in twelve games in the second half of the season is again indispensable for head coach Oliver Glasner.

“It sounds crazy: I think that we had some better football games in the second half of the season than in many parts of the first half of the season. It just doesn’t come out with the right result at the moment. I’ve been a professional for over 20 years and still sometimes I have no idea , why football is the way it is. You can’t explain everything rationally, “Hasebe explained to the sports magazine.

Hasebe wants to score another goal in the Eintracht jersey

Despite the persistent phase of weakness since the second half of the season, the Japanese also referred to the positive aspects of the current season. For the SGE captain, this includes high-flyer and top scorer Randal Kolo Muani.

For Hasebe, the vice world champion is the most talented colleague he has had at his side in his more than 20-year football career: “Even if I have seen teammates like Edin Dzeko, Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Luka Jovic or Haller. Randal has incredible potential. I hope he stays here longer.”

For what is likely to be his last Bundesliga season, 2023/2024, in which Hasebe could become the fifth outfield player in history at the age of over 40, the old champion has formulated a very special wish: “I really want to score another goal for Eintracht, no matter how . It’s been over six years since my only two goals here.”