'When I see my team, I want to see my character' – Albert Riera on his start to life at Eintracht Frankfurt
Albert Riera has barely had time to pause for breath since taking charge of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Appointed as Dino Toppmöller’s successor on 30 January, Riera was tasked with changing the fortunes of an Eagles side who appeared to have lost their swagger after their third-place Bundesliga finish in 2024/25. Six weeks into his new role, the Spaniard’s efforts on the training pitch appear to be bearing fruit.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Bundesliga, Riera reflects on his start to life at Deutsche Bank Park, reveals who helped shape his coaching philosophy and delivers his thoughts on Eintracht’s hopes of European qualification.
Watch: Frankfurt finding their feet under Albert Riera
Bundesliga: How would you sum up your first few weeks at Eintracht?
Riera: “It’s been a very intense month. Ideally, a coach always arrives when you have six weeks of preparation, six weeks where you can get to know each other better and have time to work. But when you join mid-competition, you have to win the next game. You must be clear on what you have to work on, because it’s impossible to work on everything.
“First is the psychology, because I think the team was low mentally, which is normal. I was focused on waking them up, because player confidence is very powerful. I needed to unblock them. After that, I think you could already see the players’ body language – they looked a bit bigger and taller, because they now had more confidence.
“After that, it was the concept of football. When I see a team playing, I [want to] see my character, my personality and what I teach them during the week. You see a very serious team off the ball with a very clear concept of defending, and yet a team that is also desperate to recover the ball as soon as possible. We also want to have a lot of ideas on the ball.”
Bundesliga: You’re very extroverted – how would you describe your passion for football?
Riera: “I have kids and I often recommend things to them. I will say: ‘If you want to be a basketball player, football player, hockey player or volleyball player, it doesn’t matter. If you love volleyball, you will play with passion, you will do it with energy and do it with love.’
“I love what I’m doing. I always say this is the second-best profession in the world, the first being a football player. As a coach, I’m loving what I’m doing. This is the minimum – motivation, commitment, passion and energy. This is my fifth year as a head coach [and] I haven’t even dropped on this, not even by one percent.”
Bundesliga: You had a successful career as a player. How much of that has shaped you as a coach?
Riera: “I started at Mallorca – every step has come from there. After one full season at Mallorca, I was transferred to Bordeaux. I was so happy at 18 years old to be playing for my home team that I didn’t need to go anywhere else, but sometimes clubs get in situations where they need to sell players to survive.
“I was very young and said I didn’t want to move at the time, [but] I am the person I am today because of all these experiences. I [was] very young to learn another culture and another language. It was very hard for me for four to five months because the football was very physical, and I was very skinny. I was young and I wasn’t characteristically a strong player. I was more of a technical player.
“After I played in the Premier League for Manchester City and Liverpool, I moved to Greece and Galatasaray in Turkey. I’m grateful for all the coaches I had, for all the experiences, teammates and situations, because without them, I couldn’t have had this knowledge and information I now have.”
Bundesliga: You’ve won over the media and fans with your appearances – are you as explosive as you come across?
Riera: “If you ask me about my characteristics, the only one I will say I have is that I’m honest. The truth is not always the most beautiful thing – sometimes people don’t like when I’m telling them the truth, but it’s the truth.
“This is how I was educated at home. It’s who I am. I cannot be any different. If you ask me something, I will tell you what I’m thinking. Just because I like someone doesn’t mean I will tell them anything different. I will be honest.”
Bundesliga: You’re very well connected with Xavi [Hernández], Raúl and Xabi Alonso. How has that shaped your football philosophy?
Riera: “I was teammates with Xabi Alonso at Liverpool and Spain. We’re from the same [generation] as [Mikel] Arteta and Pepe Reina. When we retired at more or less the same time, the federation organised a pro coach license for this group. I think it was the most beautiful moment for a lot of us.
“After two years of studying for our coaching license together [...] we were all thinking in the same way. It doesn’t mean we were copying each other, but we stopped looking at who was ‘better’ or ‘worse’. There are a lot of different ways in which to play football, but you need to choose yours.”
Bundesliga: To what extent has your friend Pep Guardiola influenced your philosophy?
Riera: “Pep is from another generation, but we’ve been together at times, especially during the summertime. Pep is where he is today because […] he was not afraid of what others thought about his ideas. Now he’s adapting his ways because people know him, and he needs to surprise them.
“Football is not just one idea. You need to progress and you need to adapt. Pep is not afraid to try things. This is something I believe a lot, and I am like this. I’m not afraid to do things and to transmit ideas to the players.”
Bundesliga: Eintracht have a few games coming up against teams battling relegation. Can you achieve a miracle and qualify for Europe?
Riera: “In May, we don’t know what we will have achieved. What we can control is winning a very important three points [against Heidenheim] this weekend. Then we will go to the next game, and the next game, and in the end we will see whether we deserve to be there.
“We can control what we’re doing in today’s training session and tomorrow’s training session. What I want to focus on right now is seeing progression in the team every day. I want to see something new, and their reaction when they understand an idea and want to implement it.
“I don’t like to call things miracles, as we can still achieve this automatically. We have to believe and go for it. We are motivated to be in Europe next season, and this is what we are focused on.”
Bundesliga: What do you make of Ritsu Dōan as a player and as a human being?
Riera: “As a human being, he’s fantastic – but it’s not just Ritsu. Every player is ready to improve. On the first day, I told them something very important. I said: ‘I’m not here to be a policeman, their father or a detective. I’m here to be your coach. And what you want from a coach is for me to tell you to become a better player.’
“Talking individually about Ritsu – he’s a fantastic human being and a [hard] worker. Japanese players are like this with this culture. They are really loyal players. When we need Dōan’s characteristics […] then I will use him. When we need something else, then I will use Mario Götze or Farès Chaibi.”
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