Team check 1. FC Köln: The people of Cologne are hungry for more

After a good start to the season before the World Cup break in the Bundesliga, 1. FC Köln’s form was down. Coach Steven Baumgart doesn’t want to set any big goals in the short term – but in the long term.

With just one point from their last five matches before the World Cup break, 1. FC Köln is in Football Bundesliga It crashed to thirteenth in the table. Coach Steven Baumgart only wants to look down this season. However, in the long term, it sees the club return to the European Cup. The new attack power should also help.

Cologne crashes after a good start

A bitter start to the season with a cup loss in the second division to Jahn Regensburg (3:4 after a penalty shootout) did not bother the Cologne team. In the league they started with a 3-1 win over Schalke 04 and remained undefeated for the first five matches.

On the tenth day, only three points separated Bayern Munich from second place in the table. Only against Union Berlin (0: 1) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (2: 5) the club came out empty-handed.

However, the last five matches before the World Cup break brought the team of coach Stephen Baumgart only one point and a drop from seventh to thirteenth place – just three points away from the relegation zone. At the same time, FC was eliminated from the Conference League after qualifying and a good start to the group.

On the final day of the group stage, FC Cologne fought fiercely against OGC Nice, equalizing after trailing 2-0, but not scoring the third goal they needed to advance.

This was followed by defeats against Freiburg, Leverkusen and Hertha BSC, which saw FC crash and Baumgart draw a sobering conclusion after the good start to the season: “We’re in a relegation battle, there’s no need to talk about it. Everything else is window dressing.”

Davy Silk should strengthen the football club’s attack

Given the list of injuries in the offensive department, it was clear that FC would have to step up their game over the winter break. He did so by signing former U21 European Champion Davie Selke from Hertha BSC.

Due to the long-term absences of Mark Uth (problems with the pubic bone and adductor area), Florian Dietz (cruciate ligament surgery) and Sebastian Andersson (knee surgery), FC lacked a goal threat in the centre, which Silke has to change: manager Christian Keller said The club’s administrator after the transfer: “With his physical presence, strong heading play and good finishing, he will help our team if we use him appropriately.”

At Hertha, Silk scored in 13 league matches (three in the starting line-up) before the winter break. Like FC’s other attacking powerhouses, he is a far cry from the efficiency Anthony Modeste brought to the Cologne crowd last season.

The Frenchman sent FCFC into the Conference League with 20 goals before moving to Borussia Dortmund in the summer, where his tally has so far been more modest with two goals in 13 league appearances.

Baumgart looks down

Baumgart’s team ran out of breath shortly before the World Cup break. But given the plight of injuries, the departure of top players such as Modest and Salih Ozkan (both Dortmund) and perhaps also the unusual burden of the Conference League, no one should blame him.

However, the 51-year-old has no illusions about what his squad has in store for the second half of the season – it will be about staying up. “With our 17 points, I can’t name any targets to do with the top. I’m always looking forward to where things get tighter – and that’s back at the moment,” he told the Express shortly before kick-off. the year.

But he doesn’t see why in grueling European Cup matches: “This participation has left you hungry for more. I have a feeling it wasn’t a flash in the pan. We can take that step again,” Baumgart said.

Baumgart is satisfied with the preparations at 1. FC Köln

This could be a difficult move this season, but overall Baumgart does not see Cologne in a relegation battle, but with the possibility of international football.

What Baumgart currently sees in preparation makes him optimistic: “We have always said that our game will succeed again if we add clarity to our actions with freshness. We saw it against Hamburger SV.”

FC won this test match 4-0. “There are many examples where I can see that we are on the right track,” Baumgart says. He didn’t seem worried that this path would end up in League Two.