Hired as Eintracht Frankfurt coach in May 2021, Oliver Glasner’s first year in charge was a dramatic one, his side starting slowly in the league and never really moving out of mid-table – but truly hitting the heights in the UEFA Europa League. Seeing off the likes of Barcelona and West Ham, they capped it all by edging Rangers on penalties in the final to claim their first major title since they won the UEFA Cup in 1980. UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid are taking on UEFA Europa League victors Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday 10 August.
[We have] fantastic character in our squad. Each individual player works for the team. We have a superb spirit in training, in the dressing room and in games. When things are difficult, we don’t lose faith but rather give everything for the win right until the last second. I think that is our greatest strength. I hope that Mario will give us the same thing Randal Kolo Muani will, the same thing Lucas Alario will… I could list all of our new signings. He doesn’t have to completely change his game now, but rather combine his strengths with the others. I don’t like talking about myself because you can’t tell that about yourself, but I hope that I’ve developed.
With UEFA Champions League football now in prospect, the 47-year-old Austrian is hoping that his side can raise their game this season, starting with a daunting UEFA Super Cup meeting with Real Madrid: the club that beat Frankfurt 7-3 in the 1960 European Cup final in Glasgow. It is a big ask, but as Glasner tells , a challenge tends to bring out the best in his side. We’re all very much looking forward to facing [Real Madrid]. I don’t see it as a head-to-head with Carlo Ancelotti but instead, with Real Madrid, one of the greatest and most illustrious clubs in the history of football, who have won the Champions League five times over the past few years. We want to prepare so that we have every chance of winning the match.
I’m someone who reflects a lot and I’ve certainly made plenty of mistakes over the last year too. Just as I forgive the players, I hope they’ll forgive me too because that’s also part of developing. The better the opponent, the better you have to be yourself because you need to perform at the highest level you can. If you manage that, you can move up to the next level. We have an idea of how we want to play. This will sometimes work well and at other times not as well. There is still lots of potential for us to improve. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti talked to UEFA’s media channels to preview the upcoming Supercup Final against Eintracht Frankfurt, which is less than a week away.
The Italian coach started by acknowledging that the conditioning of the players will be crucial in this first match. “We have a few more disadvantages than Eintracht, who start their season earlier, but we’ll play to win. We look forward and not back. Last year’s victories reinforce what we believe, but we need to focus on the upcoming matches. During this coming season, there are six titles at stake, and we want to fight for all of them,” he said. The Italian coach shared his thoughts about the German side, who won the UEFA Europa League title last season. “Last year, Eintracht achieved something special because they weren’t among the favorites. They played great games, winning against Barcelona at Camp Nou by playing a counterattacking style of football, with huge attention to defense and high-speed transitions,” he added. Ancelotti analyzed the signings of Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni, who will be expected to play a big role this season even if they are set to come off the bench in the upcoming Final.
“I believe we’ve got two players who are among the best in the world in their role. First of all, their quality increases the team’s physical and technical ability. Then there is [the need to] adapt to the group and the group adapting to them a bit. We must not forget that the three who left, Marcelo, Isco and Bale, have made history for this club in recent years, so the whole of Real Madrid is grateful to those players. We hope the newcomers can repeat the exploits of those who have left,” said the coach. Ancelotti wrapped up his interview by comparing his two Champions League titles won at Real Madrid. “In 2014, La Décima was probably more predictable because the team had been close to achieving it so many times already.
Gareth Bale had just joined us and we were favourites to win the title from the start. This year, we were anything but favourites, but we still managed to win, thanks to the great cohesion and quality of the team. I think the key factors were the humbleness and experience of the older players, complemented by the energy and enthusiasm of the younger ones,” he concluded.