'We face a Frankfurt team with a much bigger budget' - Robbie Keane sets scene for his Ferencvaros opener

TOUGH TEST: Head coach of Ferencvaros Robbie Keane attends a press conference in Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt. Pic: Zsolt Czegledi/MTI via AP

Robbie Keane admits his first game as Ferencvaros manager on Thursday night will require "closing the gap" on hosts Eintracht Frankfurt (8pm).

The Bundesliga side may be losing standout talent Omar Marmoush to Manchester City this week for €82.8m but they come into their Europa League clash having beaten Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund last weekend.

That was a third successive win, highlighting their sharpness in contrast to Keane’s side, currently on a winter break from league action in Hungary.

Ireland’s record goalscorer was the surprise choice a fortnight ago to succeed Pascal Jansen, who departed for New York City, and he got straight to work with a training camp in Spain that entailed two friendlies against Preussen Münster (0-0) and Piast Gliwice (0-1).

Within the new European club league format, the Germans led by Dino Toppmöller sit fifth in the 36-team table while the Hungarian champions are 16th.

Ferencvaros’s eight and final game comes next Thursday in Budapest against an AZ Alkmaar side whose attack is spearheaded by Irishman Troy Parrott.

The top eight teams in the table will qualify directly for the last-16, with the sides finishing between ninth and 24 requiring victory in next month’s playoffs, to join them.

“We're playing against a team that is capable of playing extremely fast football and has a much bigger budget,” said former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool striker Keane.

“We're going to try to close that gap on the pitch with hard work and a desire to win."

Keane enjoyed a successful but controversial introduction to his standalone managerial career by leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to a domestic league and Cup double last season.

He remained with the Israel club despite their escalation of war on Palestine in Gaza in retaliation to the October 7, 2023 attack, eventually quitting in the summer. As was the case in Israel, Keane’s former Ireland teammate Rory Delap is working as his assistant.

“It's a footballer's dream to play in such matches in front of 50,000 people,” said Keane about the magnificent Frankfurt Arena, one of the primary venues for last year’s Euros.

“At such times, I wish I could play again. As a coach, it's also a huge motivation to lead my team in such a match.

“We can't expect to dominate in such a match – we must play with a different mindset on the European stage than in the Hungarian championship. There will be a period in Thursday's match when we will suffer, but we will do everything we can to be successful. We didn't come to Frankfurt to accept defeat.” 

Keane has made his first signing of the January transfer window, Serbian forward Aleksandar Csirkovics, and experienced goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz says the country’s most successful club have embraced the changes made by Keane.

“We haven't had much time since the change of coach – just two weeks to get to know his ideas as best as possible and prepare for our first match of the year,” said the Hungarian international.

“His philosophy is fundamentally different from the previous head coach. However, it is equally important to him that we dominate the match, dictate the rhythm, and get to the opponent's goal as quickly as possible.

“There is still plenty of room for improvement, as two weeks is not a long time. It would take months for everything to work the way he wants.”