Dino Toppmöller had the laughs on his side when he reported on a conversation with his father Klaus Toppmöller at his official introduction as coach of Eintracht Frankfurt.
“Of course I was in contact with my father and talked about the task. He was happy, but he immediately rubbed his start record in my face. So I said to him: You can keep the record, the main thing is that I’ve been here longer than you.” , said Toppmöller.
In the 1993/94 season, Eintracht had set a Bundesliga start record with 20:2 points under Toppmöller Senior. But in the second half of the season, the Hessians ran out of steam, which led to the early dismissal of the coach at the time.
“Be a positive troublemaker”
This history should not be repeated. “We want to play with high intensity and passion and be a positive troublemaker,” announced Dino Toppmöller when he took office, adding: “I hope we have a successful time together.”
The athletic bar for the 42-year-old is high. “The aim is to play regularly internationally. And we want to get as far as possible in the Conference League and in the cup. That’s what we’re committed to,” said Frankfurt’s sporting director Markus Krösche, formulating the claim for the coming season.
Toppmöller, who signed a three-year contract with the Hessians a few weeks ago, is not deterred by this and is approaching the task on the Main with great enthusiasm. “When you see the successes that have been celebrated here in recent years, it is only right that you have high standards. It is important to grow together as quickly as possible and implement these things,” he said.
The former professional, who played for Eintracht in the 2002/03 season, wants to continue the work of his predecessor Oliver Glasner. Under the Austrian, the Hessians won the Europa League in 2022 and reached the DFB Cup final in the previous season. “I’ll be passionate about the task from day one,” promised Toppmöller.
New house already occupied
Together with his wife and two sons, he has already moved into a house not far from the Frankfurt stadium. “It’s important to be here with the family and to have their support,” he explained. It was a little easier because of the private situation. “My older son was born in Frankfurt, I have a few friends here and grandma and grandpa are nearby,” said Toppmöller.
He doesn’t see the high expectations in the club’s environment as ballast, even though it’s his first job as head coach in the Bundesliga. Due to his time as Julian Nagelsmann’s assistant at RB Leipzig and especially Bayern Munich, he feels well prepared for this. “It is important that I have gained this experience before I take up my first managerial position in the Bundesliga,” said Toppmöller.
Although he copied some things from Nagelsmann, he generally follows his own philosophy. “I am an affable person with clear concepts and ideas and very communicative. It is very important to me that we harmonize as a group,” said Toppmöller.
This should also include top striker Randal Kolo Muani. Sports director Krösche is currently assuming that the French national player, who has been courted by other clubs, will remain with the Hessians. “Randal still has a long-term contract with us, so we’re not looking at leaving and we don’t have to set a deadline for him because he never said he wanted to leave the club,” said Krösche.
