Timothy Chandler hoping to gain from Eintracht Frankfurt's switch to a 4-4-2 formation
Timothy Chandler hopes a change in tactics could mean regular first-team football with Eintracht Frankfurt in the months ahead.
Chandler, 29, made just five appearances between Bundesliga Matchdays 1-14, but played the full 90 minutes in Frankfurt's final three domestic assignments of the calendar year.
The 29-time USA international was deployed at right-wing-back as part of a 3-5-2 formation in defeats to Schalke and Cologne, before lining up on the right-hand side of a four-man defence in the 2-1 loss to Paderborn.
He is quietly confident coach Adi Hütter's alteration could mean more minutes for him and an upturn in fortunes for a Frankfurt side that has slipped to within three points of the relegation play-off spot following a seven-game winless run.
"We're not as predictable with a four-man defence that we can then switch up during a game and tailor according to the opposition," Chandler told kicker. "It's a good option. We just need to have the right mentality, and fight on and off the ball. The results will come if we can do that."
Chandler hasn't featured in a Bundesliga win since Eintracht got the better of promoted Union Berlin at the end of September; he hasn't started one since the penultimate day of 2017/18. A serious knee injury put paid to that, restricting the Frankfurt-born defender to just one 16-minute cameo in 2018/19 in its entirety.
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"It took a long time to fight back and get into contention," he explained, having made his comeback in May 2019. "Whether I'm playing 90 minutes or not doesn't matter - I'm always here for the team. The coach knows I'm ready to help in any way I can - my run in the team shows that. Hopefully I'll continue to get my minutes during the second half of the season."
Chandler could line-up on the right-hand side of defence when Frankfurt take on Bundesliga rivals Hertha Berlin in a mid-season friendly in Tampa, Florida on Thursday. The Eagles travel to Hoffenheim in their first Bundesliga match back from the winter break on 18 January, before playing host to current leaders RB Leipzig the following weekend.
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