The Eintracht coach's effective stimulus strategy

There isn't much better for a coach than when a development he has called for actually happens. The question about Can Uzun was very convenient for Adi Hütter. The Eintracht Frankfurt coach said after the 3-1 (0-0) win in the DFB Cup at Hamburger SV that he “saw a different Can Uzun” than in the previous weeks.

The Austrian then praised the Turkish international, whose enormous talent there is just as little doubt as the fact that the 20-year-old has made far too little of it so far.

"We all know that he is an exceptional player. But exceptional player alone - that's not enough for me. Today he showed what he can do for the team," said Hütter. On Tuesday, Uzun scored two of the three goals that enabled Eintracht to advance to the round of 16. Before the 1-0 win, he had crossed to Jonny Burkardt, who was then able to head the ball past goal scorer Robin Koch. And before Younes Ebnoutalib made it 3-1, Uzun Fares sent Chaibi on his way with a clever pass.

But that wasn't what made Hütter so happy: it was the self-sacrificing work against the ball that the technician had done this time. The coach had requested this several times - in personal conversations and by making the content public. He made it clear to Uzun that talent alone was not enough to actually have the career that would be possible for him based on his disposition. And that the quicker he understands this, the better it is. The creative player, who always took creative breaks on the pitch during the first five match days, seems to have listened.

Hütter had done a similar thing with Robin Koch. After the 6-0 defeat at RB Leipzig on October 10th, the disastrous low point of the erratic start to the season, he counted the defense chief and captain. There isn't enough coming from him to be a leading player, said Hütter. Koch took the criticism to heart - and was one of the best Frankfurters three times in a row. He even scored a goal against Cologne (1-0) and in Hamburg.

It's part of Hütter's way of working to trigger players. He irritates them by formulating his expectations not only in private but also publicly - knowing full well that the response this creates increases the pressure and thus the likelihood that real self-criticism will occur. Younger coaches usually no longer do this because they believe they have to protect their players - and in doing so they often prevent developments.

With his “challenge and support” concept, Hütter has certainly helped Eintracht stabilize again after a difficult season with two coaches, a lot of unrest and a slow start to the new season. At least the team, which was changed in several positions last summer, especially in the defensive area, now gives that impression.

"It's always about the emotions and the feeling you have with a team. That is strengthened by such cup experiences," said Axel Hellmann, who has been CEO for almost two weeks and is therefore, according to the organizational chart, the highest-ranking decision-maker in the operational business. These words also expressed a certain relief after there had been repeated setbacks and wrong personnel decisions throughout 2026.

It all started with the separation from Dino Toppmöller in January, under whom no development seemed possible anymore. However, this only came to a complete standstill under his successor Albert Riera: qualification for a European Cup was missed. The commitment of Hütter, who had already worked in Frankfurt from 2018 to 2021, was also not without controversy. And then long-time sports director Markus Krösche, whose transfer policy had been clearly criticized, left the ship.

The course now seems a little clearer again. Because a solution has been found to regulate Krösche's successor - Joti Chatzialexiou is coming. The previous sports director of 1. FC Nürnberg, who worked in various positions in the youth sector for the German Football Association between 2003 and 2018 and fundamentally reformed youth work, is an understandable choice: Eintracht will have to change their business model in the coming years.

The times in which it was possible to improve the playing substance by signing top international talents such as Randal Kolo Muani, Hugo Ekitiké or Omar Marmoush and then the economic balance through expensive resales are coming to an end. The English clubs, which have pumped a lot of money into the circuit in recent years, now prefer to transfer their players to each other.

“We have to go very hard on our own doorstep and try to concentrate our stability on revenues that come from the region,” Hellmann said at the general meeting.

This also applies to building a team for the future. It can't hurt to work long-term with an experienced coach who knows the club and its environment well. Adi Hütter's return seems to be one of the few good decisions made this year. If Eintracht wins on Sunday (5:30 p.m., DAZN and in the WELT live ticker), they could say goodbye to the bottom third of the table. It's against HSV again.