Lothar Matthäus: "I don't believe Riera has a future at Frankfurt"

Lothar Matthäus: "I don't believe Riera has a future at Frankfurt"

Just three months after replacing Dino Toppmöller as Eintracht Frankfurt coach, Albert Riera’s future in the job is already being heavily questioned.

Results in recent weeks have not lived up to expectations, with Eintracht winning just one of their last six matches.

At the same time, Riera has made plenty of headlines for his man-management and media presence.

Most recently, he lashed out at the media for reporting on an alleged fallout between himself and striker Jonathan Burkardt, calling the stories “lies”.

According to Germany legend Lothar Matthäus, Riera has not done himself any favours by being so visible in the media.

“I don’t wish any coach to be sacked. I’ve experienced such situations myself for other reasons. But Riera is partly responsible himself. In Frankfurt over the past three or four months, everything has revolved around the coach, also due to some of his own statements,” Matthäus told Sky Germany about the under-fire Eintracht Frankfurt coach.

Matthäus went on to draw parallels with Sandro Wagner, who was similarly outspoken in the media before being dismissed by Augsburg after under six months in charge in December.

“This situation reminds me of Sandro Wagner in Augsburg. Like Wagner, Riera needs to learn to operate in a way that keeps him less in the media spotlight as a coach,” Matthäus said.

“The situation is also difficult for Frankfurt chief Markus Krösche, because he brought Riera to the club.”

According to the 65-year-old, Eintracht would be wise to acknowledge they made a mistake in appointing Riera and part ways with him – just as did with Erik ten Hag early in the season.