Overview
- After Eintracht's 0:6 loss to RB Leipzig, coach Adi Hütter publicly called the defence "not Bundesliga-ready" and substituted captain Robin Koch at halftime, a move he later defended to Sky.
- Koch started the next league match against 1. FC Köln on Friday and produced 11 won duels, 100% success in aerials, four interceptions and an 87% pass completion rate to help secure a 1:0 home win.
- Hütter praised Koch's Köln performance as his best game, said Koch showed he can play in a four-man defence, and maintained that his earlier criticism was the correct decision.
- Sporting director Markus Krösche voiced institutional support for Koch, and the captain said he accepted the criticism and aimed to lead by example rather than shift blame.
- The victory ended Eintracht's long home win drought and delivered the club's first clean sheet in seven months, but upcoming tougher opponents such as Borussia Dortmund will test whether the defensive rebound is durable.