1. FC Köln: Goals against relegation – how the people of Cologne want to solve their offensive problem

Bundesliga

Three days after the start of training, trainer Steffen Baumgart experienced so much fan love that has not been experienced in Cologne for a long time. When the 51-year-old left the catacombs of Geißbockheim and walked to the training ground, the assembled fans sang him a loud serenade: Happy Birthday. It was the coach’s birthday.

This moment was captured in a Twitter video from the club. At the end, the coach said with a grin: “I’ve never had that either. Thank you very much.”

The fans are behind their coach, although things are not really going well this season. The team has been waiting for a win for five games. The last time that happened was on October 16th in a 3-2 home win over FC Augsburg.

With 17 points in 13th place, the Cologne team is just three points behind the relegation rank.

“Of course it’s about the 40 points first. For ten out of 18 teams it’s just about that. With our 17 points I can’t set goals that have anything to do with the top. I always look to where it’s getting tighter – and that’s down at the moment,” Steffen Baumgart told the “Express”.

Relegation battle instead of international business again is the motto in Cologne this season.

1. FC Köln: Game idea doesn’t work without Modeste

The problem: The Rhinelanders stuck to their game idea without having the right players for it. And the idea under Baumgart is flanks, flanks, flanks.

According to “bundesliga.de” they are the team with the most crosses from the game this season (209) – by far. Union Berlin follows in second place with 177. However, this is nothing new. Last season, the Rhinelanders hit the most balls in the penalty area with 505.

But there was a buyer in the penalty area with Anthony Modeste. With his 20 goals this season, he had a significant share of seventh place. But the 34-year-old left the team for Dortmund in the summer.

The game idea remained, the buyer in the penalty area was missing. Stefan Tigges, who came from BVB in the summer, has not been able to fill this gap so far.

1. FC Köln: Selke should make Modeste forget

And so the hopes in Cologne now rest on new winter signing Davie Selke. The 27-year-old is supposed to make Modeste forget and, with a height of 1.94 meters, is even six centimeters taller than Modeste. So a supposedly ideal buyer for the flank-heavy game.

But despite his experience of more than 200 Bundesliga games, Selke still has to prove his suitability for the Bundesliga. In 202 games so far, he has 35 goals and 20 assists. He last scored a double-digit number of goals (10) for his former club Hertha BSC in the 2017/18 season.

But that doesn’t bother Baumgart: “I’ve had him on my list for a long time. Not because he scores or doesn’t score, but because I like him and would rather have him on the team than play against him.”

Davie Selke is supposed to make Anthony Modeste forget in Cologne. Image: www.imago-images.de / imago images

And so the 47-year-old praised above all Selke’s character and mentality, which would go very well with the people of Cologne.

1. FC Köln: Tigges is preferred to Selke

But he will not play from the start. Before the start of the second half of the season in the top game against Bremen on Saturday evening, the coach decided that Steffen Tigges would start.

The summer newcomer owns the “older rights” and really deserves the chance. In addition, Baumgart reminds that Tigges missed the summer preparation and is only now “top fit”. “We hope that his good development will also translate into chances and goals scored.”

Cologne is struggling with injuries

But in order for this to result in points, the Cologne team have to get their injury bad luck under control. At first, this was only limited to the offensive. There are currently five out of eight attackers missing. Apart from Tigges and Selke, only Sargis Adamyan can play at the top.

But now it also affects the defensive. With Luca Killian, one of the core defenders is missing with a torn muscle. There is also left-back Pedersen, who is also out with a muscle injury.

And these are just the most recent cases. According to the blog “Fussballmoralen.com”, the Cologne pros had a total of 930 injury days. That’s 28.18 days per player. Only Dortmund and Augsburg have more injuries to complain about.

That’s why Baumgart remains rather cautious about his wishes for the second half of the season. “If I had one wish, I would like to finish in the top ten. I don’t know if we can do that.”