Eintracht Frankfurt's Patrick Ochs on values, pressure and the Hessenliga team

Created: 08/13/2022, 08:00

By: Johannes Goetze

Patrick Ochs is sporting director of the U16 to U21 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

© Imago/Jan Huebner

Every Eintracht Frankfurt fan knows Patrick Ochs: The Bundesliga side’s right-back for many years is now sporting director for the U16 to U21 age groups and, in an interview with torgranate.de, gives his views on today’s duel between Eintracht Frankfurt’s U21s at SV Steinbach (kick-off at 3 p.m.). Values ​​in the club, the development of the Hessenliga team and much more.

Eintracht were in the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday.

Surely you would have liked to be there?

Yes of course!

Such games are the highlights of a career, you never forget them as a player - and after all it was about a big trophy.

Eintracht acted differently than against Bayern Munich, was more compact and better.

But it has to be said that Real Madrid are in a class of their own - even though our boys gave their all.

How does Patrick Ochs follow such a game?

Relaxed on the sofa with a beer and chips?

At least the sofa is right (laughs).

But actually I'm tense and of course I'm feverish with Eintracht.

However, maybe I look at the game a little differently than other fans: I can feel what's going on in the minds of the players and at the same time observe how the individual players behave and what the group tactics are like.

It was interesting for me to see whether lessons were learned from the Bayern game.

You didn't go to Helsinki because you simply didn't have the time?

Yes, that's right.

I have to be well organized so that I don't lose track.

I always draw up two-week plans in which I write down exactly what appointments are mandatory for me and where I would also like to stop by.

We are now active with the teams at three locations - in the Dreieich sports park, in the youth training center in Riederwald and at the ProfiCamp in the city forest.

In addition to games and training sessions, there are numerous discussions with players, coaches and other sporting directors.

My job is to take players to the pro level.

I look at the development of each player regardless of the results.

That sounds like more than 40 hours of work.

Of course, my work as a sports director in the youth academy takes up a lot of my time.

It's not just appointments and discussions, but also scouting and further training.

And we want to work closely with professionals in particular – and we already do that.

You mention it: In the three games of Eintracht in the Hessenliga there were already a lot of celebrities.

This is lived at Eintracht Frankfurt.

We are an association.

When I see that professional trainer Oliver Glasner is there, sports director Markus Krösche, the chairman of the supervisory board Philip Holzer or the head of the licensed players department Timmo Hardung, to name just a few, then as a player I have to burn because of that alone, I have to know: That is my chance!

Even if it's 3-0 for us, I still have to have full focus.

Hessenliga shouldn't be the end of the road for the players.

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But this season got off to a rocky start with two losses in three games.

Just because we play with the eagle on our chest doesn't mean we win every game 3-0.

We have a lot of young players who still have to get used to men's football.

We have made it clear that we are in a transitional year.

Within six or seven months we put together a completely new team, created a completely new environment, brought in a new coach.

Can that explain the defeats in Alzenau and Hanau?

At Hanau, Kreso Ljubicic, a former Eintracht professional and with experience as a player in the first Swiss league, acted cleverly as player-coach, ensured yellow cards on our side and took the rhythm out of the game.

At the age of 35, he simply doesn't have to walk that much anymore because he has a lot of experience and class.

Kreso Ljubicic is a really good example of the Hessenliga, where there are many experienced players that we only have to a limited extent in our ranks as U21s.

Our players first have to get used to men's football and can also learn from such players.

Could something similar be blooming in Steinbach today?

You have been there with Dreieich before.

I remember.

I filled out the match report by hand because the internet didn't work (laughs).

But I know the conditions are difficult because the pitch is small and the town is crazy about football.

There are many Eintracht fans in East Hesse, which means for us that it will be full again and maybe disgusting.

And Steinbach has scored seven points in three games, Leon Wittke, for example, is a strong winger.

We are prepared.

The scenes were strong in the previous three games with an average of well over 1000 spectators.

What's in it for the players?

Of course, we hope that more will come.

But we can only ensure that in the home games with results.

The players have to get used to the scenes.

Last but not least, the fans are responsible for the development of the players.

The players have to get used to the atmosphere and the pressure.

I still remember me.

The first time in front of 50,000 spectators and I stumbled a ball on the touchline. The whole stadium murmured because my action was so bad.

A young player has to deal with that.

Especially the mental, this pressure is often underestimated.

Is that a reason for moving to Dreieich?

It is clear that we will find great conditions in Dreieich, which is why we will also play the U19 games in the Youth League there.

I'm dreaming of a great crowd and maybe even more spectators than at the previous U21 home games.

You yourself play in the traditional team, were recently in Wölf and are one of the legends you can touch.

How annoying are the constant requests for autographs and photos?

Not annoying at all.

On the contrary.

I was still on the pitch 35 minutes after the final whistle in Wölf.

We like to take our time.

And personally, it makes me proud when fans tell me about individual games that I've played in and their eyes widen.

After all, I haven't been a Eintracht player for eleven years.

And do you also expect this behavior from the young players?

Clearly!

We want to exemplify the values ​​that characterize Eintracht Frankfurt.

That's why we take the teams to smaller clubs in the region for friendly matches.

We want to be friendly and open-minded and treat everyone with respect.

And if we don't set an example, how can we ask young players to do that?