SEBASTIAN Rode, the Eintracht Frankfurt captain, was only too happy to oblige yesterday when a non-German-speaking Scottish journalist asked if he would be able to answer some questions in English ahead of the Europa League final.
When the midfielder, though, attempted to describe the importance of his team mate Makoto Hasebe to Die Adler, something got lost in translation.
“He is the ruhepol,” said Rode. “I do not know how to explain this word.”
Nearby reporters scratched their heads and offered suggestions. The on-field leader? The go-to-guy? The outball? The calming influence?
Whatever it means, it is quite clear the Japanese player, despite being 38 now and no longer an automatic first team selection, is an influential figure in the Eintracht squad.
The same is very much true of his compatriot Daichi Kamada.
The 25-year-old has scored nine goals in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign to date - but no fewer than five of them have come during the run to the Europa League final in Seville.
He netted against Olympiakos and Royal Antwerp in the group stages and was on target against both Real Betis and West Ham during the knockout rounds. His success on the continent has led to him being dubbed “Euro-Daichi” by supporters.
Eintracht players and supporters are expecting big things from the skilful playmaker this evening.
“Daichi is one of the key men for us,” said Rode. “In fact, he can be the difference between winning and losing in games. The Japanese players are both really big for us.”
Rangers have encountered a few difficulties dealing with Japanese players domestically this season – Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda have all been superb as Celtic have reclaimed the Scottish title.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s charges will have to nullify the threat posed by both Kamada, who is certain to start for Oliver Glasner’s side, and Hasebe, who could be brought on, during the second-half in order to prevail in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium and lift the trophy.
The latter made the difference when Eintracht last travelled to Spain last month; the defensive midfielder came off the bench in the final minute of regulation time in the quarter-final encounter with Barcelona in the Nou Camp and ensured the visitors recorded a famous triumph.
The former stressed that both he personally and his team mates as a collective rely on their elder statesman.
“Makoto has a lot of experience,” he said. “He doesn't play every game any more, but when he is on the pitch he always performs. That is good for the coach and for the team. If we can fall back on such a player, it is helpful.
“When I joined Eintracht five years ago, Makoto was a big help to me. He helped to translate for me and explained how football is played in Germany. Even today, he is still a good team mate for me. But I can do my things on my own now. I don't need his help as often any more.”
Kamada is the one James Tavernier and his fellow defenders will really have to watch when Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić blows the whistle to start the game tonight.
The 16-times capped internationalist is deployed just off the lone striker in the 3-4-2-1 formation which his manager favours and can both unlock a defence and score a goal.
The partnership that he forms with wing back Filip Kostic on the left side has been has been important for his team in Europe this season as Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent have been for Rangers.
“Ever since my return to Eintracht (Kamada went on loan to Sint-Triuden in Belgium two years ago), I've got along well with Filip,” said Kamada.
“He trusts me and gives me the ball. He knows where I'm going and I know where he's going and how he wants to get the ball. We get along very well on the pitch. It's good for our game that I'm playing a little further to the left again.”
Kamada’s inconsistency during his first few seasons at Eintracht made him an unpopular player among supporters. But that has changed under Glasner this season. The Austrian has brought the very best of the mercurial talent at long last.
“We had a fresh start,” said Kamada. “Everything that had gone before no longer applied. We all started from scratch. Some colleagues left, new players came. The formation was new, training was different.
“The style of play was different. We run behind the defence more often now. That was a step in the right direction. That was good for our team.
“The coach understood the system that made the team is strongest. We tried to implement what the coach wanted, but the change took some time. But we understood more and more what he wanted from us. Now we have reached the end of the development.”
Rode, who will lead Eintracht out before kick-off this evening, knows that Glasner deserves huge praise for the transformation that both Kamada individually and Frankfurt as a group have undergone in the past nine months.
“The coach has played a big part in what has happened,” he said. “With his meticulous manner he always prepared us for our opponents in an excellent way. His faith in our abilities is also a key factor. The euphoria is indescribable.
“This Europa League trip is the most phenomenal of my career. It wasn't expected after the upheaval in the summer. It was incredibly difficult to get into the season.
“Rangers have already played successfully against two German teams. We have to work something out there. But the coach will certainly draw up a good game plan.”
Eintracht Frankfurt’s dynamic Japanese duo Daichi Kamada and Makoto Hasebe will be central to it.
