Hütter keeps Koch as Frankfurt captain after 6-0 rout, demands fight against Cologne
Eintracht Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter ended debate over Robin Koch, saying the defender will start Friday's Bundesliga game against Cologne and remain captain after the 6-0 thrashing in Leipzig.
Symbolic image · Photo: Patrik Meyer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Eintracht Frankfurt will face Cologne at home on Friday (1830 GMT) with Robin Koch still captain. "He will play and remain captain. There is no question and no discussion," coach Adi Hütter told a news conference on Wednesday. Koch was substituted at halftime of the 6-0 loss at Leipzig, and Hütter criticised him publicly afterwards.
The Austrian said Koch had taken the decision "very well", but added: "At the end of the day it is always about performance. I expect that from a leader too." After such a defeat there were "no arguments", he said, urging his side to "bite, scratch and pinch from the first minute".
Against Cologne, who beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 in their last derby, Hütter wants more resistance: "We have to be more uncomfortable to play against." Former Germany captain Lothar Matthäus recently defended sporting director Markus Krösche but called Hütter's remarks on Koch "unfortunate".