Eintracht Frankfurt go into Friday's match against Köln under early-season pressure, with five Bundesliga games already leaving them on five points, 16 goals conceded and a place in 14th. Robin Koch, who was taken off at halftime in the 0:6 loss at RB Leipzig, is still set to start and keep the captaincy.
That is the clearest sign yet that Adi Hütter is choosing to back the defender rather than sideline him after a punishing night in Leipzig. Frankfurt's start has been all over the place: a 3:3 draw at Union Berlin, a 1:4 home loss to FC Augsburg, a 3:1 win at 1. FSV Mainz 05, a 2:2 draw against SC Freiburg and then the collapse against RB Leipzig. The result is a team that has taken one win, two draws and two losses, but has also been involved in the most open games in the league so far.
The numbers explain why the mood has turned so fast. Frankfurt's five matches have produced 25 goals, an average of 5 goals per game, and every one of their Bundesliga games has finished with at least four goals. Defensively, they have the third-worst record in the division, with only Union Berlin on 17 goals conceded and Borussia Mönchengladbach on 18 having allowed more. For a side that was supposed to be steadier than this, the problem is not just the scoreline; it is the pattern.
Hütter has already shown that he is willing to move between a back three and a back four, and Frankfurt looked overwhelmed with the back three in Leipzig. Against Köln, he could switch back to a four-man line, with Noah Atubolu in goal, Koch and Lilian Brassier in central defence, Keita Kosugi on the left, Elias Baum on the right and Noel Aseko plus Raphael Onyedika as the midfield base. In attack, Ritsu Dōan, Can Uzun and Ansgar Knauff could support Jonathan Burkardt if Hütter prefers a one-striker shape.
That is where the real test begins. Koch's public criticism after Leipzig would normally point to a change, yet Hütter has kept him in the frame and kept him as captain. If Frankfurt are going to steady themselves, the answer will not come from slogans about character or effort; it will come from whether the shape finally matches the personnel and whether the next defensive line looks more like a system than a rescue job.
