Hopes were high in Cologne in the summer. Promotion back to the top flight easily achieved, the squad retained and strengthened plus a new promising coach at the helm. However, it was case of bonjour tristesse in the cathedral city just before Christmas. The Bundesliga campaign did not really take off and there was a DFB Cup exit against Regional League outfit FC Saarbrücken. Coach Achim Beierlorzer was sacked after just four months and managing director Achim Veh retired early. That meant FC Köln were in a relegation battle under completely new management: Horst Heldt took over from Veh as managing director, Markus Gisdol was the successor to Beierlorzer. However, the new duo have not yet achieved a turning point: After the 2-0 defeat at fellow newcomers Union Berlin last Sunday and SC Paderborn’s win at Werder Bremen, FC have slipped to bottom for the first time this season. After three games without a positive result, Gisdol is still waiting for his first win as the FC Köln coach – and the associated take-off in the league campaign.
In contrast to Beierlorzer, who usually opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, Gisdol has gone for two “genuine strikers.” A decision that appears logical at first sight as FC Köln have a high quality strike force in Anthony Modeste, Jhon Cordoba and Simon Terodde. Gisdol has almost a full squad to choose from for the Werkself game. The personnel situation eased considerably ahead of the derby with Rafael Czichos and Jonas Hector returning from suspension to be available for the Werkself fixture and Kingsley Schindler should also be available after recovering from injury. Czichos will probably come into central defence in place of Lasse Sobiech, captain and Germany international Hector probably playing at left-back with the two youngsters Ismail Jakobs (20) and Noah Katterbach (18) making way. The return of the two stalwarts should definitely bring more stability to the FC Köln defence that is still looking to keep another clean sheet this season after the 3-0 victory over Paderborn in the middle of October. That was also the last win for FC this term.
While the FC Köln defence is notoriously susceptible, it is puzzling why primarily the attack is ineffective. In last season’s second division campaign, Köln stormed their way to promotion with 84 goals and now they have the weakest attack with just 12 goals in 14 Bundesliga games. Neither Beierlorzer nor Gisdol have succeeded in getting the attack up to speed. Returnee Modeste has only scored once this season. The Austrian technician Louis Schaub and the former Leverkusen player Dominick Drexler, who stood out in the second division, have rarely shown their class. Köln are in urgent need of points in the current situation – and the goals required. As a recognised proponent of attacking football, Gisdol is seen as the man for the job.
Relegation in 2018 did set the club back but FC Köln are still recognised as a top club in Germany. Two years ago, the team from the cathedral city were playing Arsenal in the Europa League and now they still have the infrastructure and opportunities to reestablish their position in the Bundesliga. But the club cannot settle down: First, the promotion coach Markus Anfang had to leave with the team top of the second division and then his successor Beierlorzer and managing director Veh had to go a few moths later. With the change of management in the middle of the first half of the season, Köln are now at crucial point. One that should bring a more settled 2020 after a turbulent 2019.
FC Köln do go in to the derby as underdogs after the recent run of poor results but FC still have the capacity to hurt any opponent in the Bundesliga – including Bayer 04. It is now down to Markus Gisdol to put that into action. With a four-point gap to the play-off position, time is of the essence to achieve the turning point – but Köln defintely have the quality to stay in the top flight.
Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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