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Sebastian Rode on the edge of the semi-final first leg in London
Photo:
Kevin Voigt / IMAGO / Jan Huebner
Istanbul, Antwerp, Piraeus, Seville, Barcelona, London - Eintracht Frankfurt has made an amazing journey through Europe in recent months. Tonight (9 p.m. / TV: RTL) coach Oliver Glasner’s team can even reach the final of the Europa League. The odds are not bad after a 2-1 win against West Ham United in the first leg. Hardly anyone would have expected that, especially since the team is only eleventh in the league.
How can this discrepancy between European highlights and everyday Bundesliga life be explained? And how does it feel as a player when 30,000 supporters who have traveled with you in Barcelona carry you forward? Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode gives answers.
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Rode, in your career you played with FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, became German champion and won the DFB Cup.
How important is this Europa League season with Eintracht for you?
Rode:
It's just difficult to compare.
Whether it's the championship trophy, the DFB Cup, one of my rare goals against Benfica three years ago, or the penalty shoot-out at Chelsea with crutches on the outside line, now the 30,000 Frankfurters in Barcelona, which will probably never be in the form again - that's it all highlights of my career and moments that I will not forget for the rest of my life.
SPIEGEL:
Keyword "fan factor": What distinguishes the enthusiasm of Frankfurt's supporters from those in Munich or Dortmund, for example?
Rode:
As a Eintracht fan, you go through many ups and downs in the course of life.
Unlike the other two clubs, you are not carried on a wave of success most of the time.
This requires a certain ability to suffer, but then makes the success all the more special.
SPIEGEL:
Describe how it feels for a player to see and hear 30,000 Eintracht fans who have traveled with you in the stands at the Camp Nou.
Rode:
I felt this special dynamic as soon as I warmed up.
There were so many people there.
The energy transfers to the team.
A special symbiosis has actually developed between the team and the fans.
We carry each other.
"You just can't stop smiling at the moment"
SPIEGEL:
What are the sporting reasons for the success in Europe?
Rode:
We go beyond our limits in the crucial games.
Of course we also have quality in the team.
It's just not that easy when you have to check them every four days.
There was a lack of consistency this year after the upheaval last summer.
We also have some young players who still need to adapt in the league.
That's why it's all the more amazing that we've come this far in the Europa League.
SPIEGEL:
Would you have guessed this development when you returned to Frankfurt in winter 2019?
Rode:
I wouldn't even have dreamed of it.
So I still have to pinch myself.
It's very special to experience all this with my home club, with the fans, with the whole environment.
SPIEGEL:
How do you currently experience the mood in the city?
Rode:
The concept of the century games has recently made the rounds.
I've had a lot of ticket requests.
We are also approached more often in the city.
Everyone is wishing us the best of luck for the West Ham game, even going into the weekend.
You then think for a moment: "Wait, there's still the league before that." But the fans' minds are only on Europe at the moment.
»We have enough self-confidence that we can do it«
SPIEGEL:
The second leg of the semi-final against West Ham in the evening will be sold out with 48,000 spectators and the atmosphere will probably be outstanding.
What does that do to a player?
Rode:
The whole stadium will be white again.
I'll walk in with goosebumps.
You just can't stop smiling at the moment.
SPIEGEL:
Internationally, the euphoria carries you through the season.
They throw Barcelona out.
In the league, however, it is currently only enough for eleventh place and you lose against Bielefeld, a candidate for relegation.
How can this be explained?
Rode:
I myself have a few years under my belt.
But many of our players don't know that absolute highlights in Europe are followed by everyday league life two days later and that you then have to be mentally and physically at the top level to score points.
SPIEGEL:
You mean against Bielefeld or Barcelona, that makes a difference for the head and the team dynamics?
Rode:
Unfortunately, the situation at the moment is that we lack the decisive percentage in some league games.
As a team, we do not come about through the quality of individuals, but through collective unity.
But to do this, everyone has to call up their performance to the full every time.
SPIEGEL:
What must the next steps be for Eintracht to be consistently successful in the league?
Rode:
It's a process that takes years to develop, especially with young players.
This requires experience.
That's one of the reasons why we hope to win the title so that we can be back internationally next year.
We are now close to the final and have enough self-confidence that we can do it.
