Five takeaways from our match against Louisville City

Eintracht Frankfurt have won their second and last friendly of the US Tour. In a physically demanding match, Eintracht beat Louisville City 5-2. Here are my five essential takeaways from the match.

1 - Our defense is still too open

Louisville City managed 14 shots, including several clear-cut chances. At times our defense was exposed after leaving big gaps or not clearing the ball properly. The two goals we conceded were more than deserved. Obviously, the squad came out of a very intense and exhausting week of training, however, we should’ve still defended better against a clearly weaker opponent in my opinion. Especially when defending corners, we looked really bad. After almost conceding from a corner to the near post in the first half, we ended up conceding from an almost identical corner in the second. Given that defending corners was one of the things Toppmöller and his team wanted to improve this season, this was disappointing to watch.

2 - Jonny Burkardt has arrived

Jonathan Burkardt has scored his first goal for Eintracht Frankfurt! Just eight minutes later, he also assisted one for Niels Nkounkou. It seems like the German striker has no problems adapting – not just on the pitch, but off it as well. We can expect Burkardt to be our main man in attack from the first game on.

3 - Marvin Dills is a special talent

We’ve already seen glimpses of Dills‘ talent in the previous two friendlies against FSV Frankfurt and Aston Villa. However, this match against Louisville was his best so far. Especially his goal in the 70th minute left a mark, of course. Dills received the ball with his back to goal around 11 meters out, turned quickly and curled the ball into the top right corner.

After seeing Dills compete at this level, the question arises whether he should play for the U21‘s in the Hessenliga this season, or be loaned out to play on an even higher level.

4 - Niels Nkounkou still has a chance

Niels Nkounkou was arguably the best player on the pitch after coming on at halftime yesterday. He assisted Burkardt‘s first goal, before scoring two himself, playing a key role in our comeback. He did exactly what you expect from a great 'super sub'. After initially being a candidate to be sold this summer, Nkounkou could get another chance at Eintracht Frankfurt, if he continues to impress during pre-season.

5 - Toppmöller remains flexible

Dino Toppmöller has already used three formations in the last three friendlies. Against FSV Frankfurt he used a 4-4-2, against Villa and Louisville he started with a 4-2-3-1. In the 60th minute of yesterday’s match against Louisville, he switched to a 3-4-2-1 system. Toppmöller’s tactical flexibility makes him unpredictable for the opponents’ coaches – that’s one of his biggest strengths.