They drew, a home game.
Dangerous even without Marmush
One of the Frankfurt club’s main problems in the winter was the loss of Omar Marmush. The German club’s prisoner came to Manchester City’s bloodstream – “to the city dwellers,” it’s very difficult to refuse. Especially considering the proposed terms of the deal. The British flooded Aintracht with money, giving £63.2 million. Only money doesn’t play in football – this meant Aintracht was left without its top scorer.
Interestingly, even so, the “Eagles” found a player on the cutting edge. The leader there for the team became a car from the equipment. He was part of the team even when Aintracht hadn’t said goodbye to Marmush. The Frenchman was loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in February 2024 (the Parisians didn’t see him as a starting player), and a full-fledged transfer was announced in the summer. After Marmush’s transfer, the Eagles rebuilt from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with Hugo becoming the only striker. At this point, the striker’s 13 goals have been scored, almost catching up with Omar, who still led the scorers list.
And it was his team that helped Frankfurt make history in London (and ultimately, allowed them to draw). The French striker created the moment for the goal himself: he wandered around the edge, moved into the center, and struck it from behind the penalty area into the far corner. Vicario didn’t reach the ball. Spurs played poorly in attack again – even after losing the ball in defense, someone managed to come back, and Hugo had a goalkeeper, no one covered him before the kick.
Sleep saved a draw, but didn’t win.
In fact, the owners immediately found themselves in a position to catch up – once again the High Line led gravity to their doorstep. The Londoners went on the offensive, and in the attack, a traditionally visible figure was Hyn-min Dreis. The Korean winger was constantly looking for moments of exacerbation. Almost immediately, he found them – and dispersed the attack that became the goal. In the 26th minute, when Aintrach successfully dismantled the players and tried not to leave the free space, Dreis saw a signal from Suncase (he went beyond the line of defenders, indicating space to run) and cut a long-range penalty kick directly into the penalty area. After that, Dominic passed it to Maddison, who assisted Porro. Pedro managed to hit the ball with his heel. After the break, the dream could have become the absolute hero of the match. In the 56th minute, Spurs were thrown into the penalty area, and Suncase managed to launch further into the fight, the Korean being the first to the ball. Kristensen managed to advance on the winger, then he immediately moved to the center and faded into the distance. Santos managed to jump and created a superior wreck.
Solanka and Maddison also tried to aggravate. The former was often used as a beacon for casting, moreover, he was marked by the Foothole equipment. James had an assistant, and in the second half, he himself made a dangerous shot off the goalkeeper’s goal in the 58th minute. But neither of them could win Tottenham (for English clubs, the evening as a whole was not decisive).
Spurs is already taking care of a new coach
The risk can be considered justified when the team gradually improves under the coach. Even if we’re talking about a fairly long period. This isn’t the case with Anga Potecogol. The specialist had exactly one period, which showed that the Australian could give the club a boost—the first half of the 2023/24 season. Then the team managed to compete with Arsenal and City, and even reached the top flight. Only then did the decline follow. In any case, the Podecogol trusted the fact that they saw a benchmark in this period and understood that Ange could achieve it. Moreover, the Australian’s charisma played a role.
The problem is that this period fades into the background of the next one and a half nightmares. Yes, Tottenham have long been plagued by injuries at the top. But the specialist refuses to adapt to these conditions. Anga oppresses his line – you have to play high, maintain activity under pressure, and maintain a high line. Obviously, for such a deadly system, the loss of defensive leaders is a concern. But Podecoglu didn’t refuse even without Romero and Van der Vienn. The result is obvious.
The Spurs leadership has returned to the search for a coach. So far, they’re choosing between Andoni Iraola and Mark Silva. The former was well-used by Bornholm, the latter turned Fulham into a promising Premier League midfielder. At the same time, the Portuguese has shown his effectiveness over a longer stretch. In addition, he is attentive to defensive play, which is important for Spurs. And it was a question of his appointment even after Conte’s departure – so they chose Podecoglu.
Aintracht has its own race – the team is succeeding successfully.
There was a brief period when Leipzig dropped out, and Aintracht proved to be Bavaria’s only rivals. Yes, then the Frankfurters were replaced by the second-string Bayer, but this moment is indicative: the Eagles are demonstrating excellent football and are ready to play their best season of the 21st century. Before that, the team was both a foreigner and a middle-class team, participating in European competitions and even winning the League of Europe. But only now have Aintracht come so close to the championship race.
Despite the rapid decline and a recent unsuccessful period (starting with 19 wins in 10 matches), the team has a serious task ahead: fighting for a place in the Champions League. Leipzig are three points behind, so the end of the season will be tense. It’s clear that Aintracht doesn’t have enough strength for two top tournaments. Now might be the best time to sacrifice the European Cup to stay in the league. Match clipSource link
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