“They should have substituted everyone”: Lothar Matthäus delivers harsh verdict on Eintracht Frankfurt and Adi Hütter

Eintracht Frankfurt are deep in crisis and, on top of that, must also manage the Robin Koch affair. Lothar Matthäus has now delivered a harsh verdict on the SGE and coach Adi Hütter.

The record international told Sport Bild he was surprised by the public dressing-down of the captain after the 6-0 thrashing by RB Leipzig at the weekend. He addressed the Hessen coach directly: "The blunt comments about Robin Koch surprised me. It was unfortunate that he spoke of relief when substituting his captain. It doesn't look good."

After taking Koch off at half-time, Hütter used blunt words to demand more from him. On Thursday, the Austrian brushed aside any doubts about the international's position. "He will play and remain captain. There is no question or discussion about that," he said ahead of Friday evening's Bundesliga match against 1. FC Köln.

"At the end of the day, it always comes down to performance. I expect that from a leader too," Hütter explained. Koch knew that, and the two had spoken about it several times this week. He "could have substituted all the others too" against RB, he said, adding that Koch "accepted it and didn't see it as a big deal. He took it very well."

Eintracht Frankfurt in crisis: Lothar Matthäus delivers a blunt verdict

Matthäus has known Hütter for 20 years and was just as scathing about Eintracht's display in Leipzig: "He must be really unhappy with him. I suspect the first half in Leipzig was simply the final straw. On performance alone, you would have had to substitute everyone."

After five matches, the ambitious Hessen side sit a disappointing 14th in the Bundesliga table. They have taken just five points and conceded 16 goals, giving Frankfurt the third-worst defence at present, ahead of Union Berlin (-17) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (-18).