Anyone who has visited Frankfurt will know it’s a city that, unlike the majority in Germany, is not a place where beer culture finds itself at the forefront. That’s not to say there aren’t tasty brews to enjoy in Hessen, but the main drink of choice is Äppelwoi — literally apple wine or a hard cider.
Suffice it to say, many are thinking “thank goodness for Äppelwoi” this week in the Main-Metropole (metropolis on the River Main).
Dino Toppmöller’s departure as coach of Eintracht Frankfurt was absolutely in keeping with the usual decision-making process at German football clubs. Once problems become insurmountable and results go the wrong way, it’s difficult for anyone to stay in post, no matter how popular.
Toppmöller, the son of former top-level coach Klaus Toppmöller, was a well-liked figure in the community who spent a big part of his youth in Frankfurt. He gave his time to fans and media, offering intricate details and analysis within his usually lengthy news conferences.
Last season, by guiding Eintracht into the UEFA Champions League, his coaching work was richly praised, especially given he had to adapt to losing Omar Marmoush at the midway point. This term, Toppmöller’s plan was undone by far too many individual errors.
Eintracht could largely still score goals by the bucketload, but preventing them represented a perplexing challenge. In recent weeks, Arthur Theate has been particularly prone to costly mistakes, although far from alone.
In November, Frankfurt changed their style to a more obdurate one and had brief success, such as against Napoli in the Champions League and Mainz in the Bundesliga, keeping the opposition quiet. But it was at the expense of their more typical attacking face, and they quickly reverted to type.
After one too many high-scoring Schlagabtausch (exchange of blows) contests — the 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen — the axe fell on Toppmöller.
To make matters worse for Eintracht fans, Wednesday — under the auspices of interim coaches Dennis Schmitt and Alex Meier — saw their team eliminated from the Champions League after another defensively suspect performance from Robin Koch, Kauã Santos & Co., this time in Baku against Qarabag.
Markus Krösche, the club’s highly rated sporting chief, will leave Schmitt and the other coaches in place for Saturday’s home game against TSG Hoffenheim.
The Eintracht business model of giving young, very promising players a huge platform and then hoping to move them on at a substantial profit always carries an element of risk. What worked with Hugo Ekitike, for example, simply didn’t with Elye Wahi.
Getting the next head coach appointment spot on is paramount. For all of Eintracht’s woes, a return to the Champions League next season is not completely impossible.
Bayern’s dominance goes beyond stars
Bayern Munich‘s 2-0 Champions League win over Union St.-Gilloise was far from their most spectacular performance of the season, but it keeps Germany’s Rekordmeister well placed to hit their target in the competition. They now need only a draw at PSV Eindhoven next week to finish second in the league phase behind Arsenal, and thus guarantee return-leg home advantage beginning with the round of 16.
It’s easy to focus on Harry Kane and Michael Olise every week — they have the capacity to make most things look ridiculously easy — but Bayern noticeably are using academy players ever more in the matchday squad, and we’re not just talking about the prodigiously gifted Lennart Karl.
Felipe Chávez, David Daiber, Wisdom Mike and Javier Fernández are only three of the Jugendspieler (youth players) from the Bayern-Campus whose names are appearing regularly on the bench. The club is also keeping a close eye on Noël Aséko Nkili, who has received high marks for his performances in the 2. Bundesliga, where he’s on loan at Hannover 96.
Contenders looking more like pretenders
Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen‘s midweek Champions League performances are best quickly forgotten.
BVB’s limp, passive first half on a rain-drenched night in London against Tottenham Hotspur, whose Gegenpressing posed serious problems, left die Schwarz-Gelben with too much to do after the interval. Middle of the pack in the Champions League is an accurate portrayal of where Dortmund currently are in reality.
Leverkusen’s worrying start to 2026 continued with another uncertain showing and defeat away to Olympiacos, who pressed high from the start and created countless headaches for Loïc Badé and Robert Andrich in particular. The momentum created in December, when Bayer 04 eliminated BVB from the DFB-Pokal and bested RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, has evaporated.
Cologne find success in simplicity
Sometimes the simple, direct approach can reap a hefty dividend.
Last weekend, FC Cologne floundered in the first half at home against Mainz, and trailing 0-1, the players were met by a Pfeiffkonzert (a concert of whistles) in Müngersdorf. Under-pressure coach Lukas Kwasniok brought on aerial specialist Ragnar Ache straight after the break as well as Mainz loanee Tom Krauss, and it set the table for the club’s first win since early November — and against a direct rival to boot.
Both goals were Ache headers — from a cross by Alessio Castro-Montes and corner from Luca Waldschmidt, respectively. Cologne hadn’t scored a Bundesliga goal on the back of a corner all season.
Just like that, fans in the Domstadt (cathedral city) are breathing a lot more easily.
