The 13th installment of our 18 Bundesliga tactical preview sections to be released here on Get German Football News examines 1. FC Köln. It’s time to hinder down and problem solve when it comes to the first of the league’s promoted clubs. The cathedral city club actually completed a highly encouraging training camp under newly-appointed trainer Lukas Kwasniok. A near disaster in the opening round Pokal fixture against SSV Jahn Regensburg nevertheless showed how far this team has to go.
There are bad historical parallels here. The last time Köln earned promotion to the German top flight, they also decided to head into the season with a new head coach and a strangely put together side. Achim Beierlorzer – a former Regensburg head coach and current Regensburg sporting director – lasted just 11 rounds during the 2019/20 campaign. The same fate could befall Kwasniok if he doesn’t get matters sorted here quickly. The team played a largely strong pre-season that year.
What can be done?
With thinking caps firmly strapped, we’ll have a look.
PRE-SEASON MEANS NOTHING!
1. FC Köln
Köln opted to put it all on the line last season. With immediate promotion back to the German top flight within reach, the Domstädter opted to sack both head-coach Gerhard Struber and long-time chief sporting executive Christian Keller. Friedhelm Funkel led die Geißböcke to the 2. Bundesliga championship and a place back in the elite division. New sporting director Thomas Kessler has engaged in a massive summer spending spree (and leveraged club finances) trying to whip this roster into shape. Lots to cover here.
Major personnel shifts, Köln
Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = -€10 million
Buoyed by both promotion and the lifting of the two-year-long transfer ban, recent club outlays remind one of the final years of the Horst Heldt regime. Ragnar Ache (€4.5m) and Isak Bergmann Johannesson (€5.5m) did not come cheap. Sebastian Sebulonsen (€2.5m) also constituted a significant investment. The Rav van den Berg purchase (€8m) will probably end up setting a record for Köln’s most expensive defensive purchase ever once the bonuses are factored in. One hope’s the younger van den Berg brother will deliver more for Köln than Sebastiaan Bornauw did.
Other signings have been a bit more in line with what one expects from a promoted club. Tom Krauß and Cenk Özkacar arrived on loan deals with six-figure fees attached. Kristoffer Lund and Jakub Kaminski were procured on loan without fees. Kessler earns plaudits for picking up striker Marius Bülter for essentially nothing. Keeper Ron-Robert Zieler cost more than necessary, but that’s not a huge problem. So-called “legacy signings” remain important. This “new crew” works on paper even if the results on the pitch aren’t there yet.
A couple of shrewd loan-outs saw Rasmus Carstensen and Jaka Cuber Potocnik get parked elsewhere. Familiar faces to German football fans Dejan Ljubicic and Mathias Olesen departed on frees. Tim Lemperle (Hoffenheim) was the only departure on a free to join another Bundesliga club. Max Finkgräfe ended up being sold to RB Leipzig on what was the second highest (€4m) sale of the summer. Striker Damion Downs (€8m. Southampton) served as the offseason’s biggest inlay.
Köln’s efforts to offload three strikers with Bundesliga experience deemed unworthy for the top level only succeeded in the case of Steffen Tigges. In order to reduce the size of the roster, Sargis Adamyan and Florian Dietz were demoted to the reserves. Adamyan turned down a chance to play in the 3. Liga in order to make more money working light training sessions. So it goes in football sometimes. The old “Jack Rodwell” trick.
Notes from camp, Köln
A couple of easy early tune-ups at least pitted the team against some local rivals, if one can indeed consider SV Bergish Gladbach a suitable derby substitute for the mighty Borussen to the West. After that, there was a cross-town exhibition against Fortuna Köln. The first friendly actually received a great deal of coverage. Many remained curious who would make the first mark from this weirdly put together squad working under an entirely new head-coaching regime.
Kwasniok himself literally labelled training camp like an episode of “Who wants to be a Millionaire?”. Cool. Why not let everyone start from scratch? Former Bundesliga attackers Steffen Tigges, Linton Maina, and Luca Waldschmidt were among those answering Kwasniok in the affirmative with goals. A lot of players served out of position in Kwasniok’s 3-4-3, which broke down the opponent’s 4-3-3 in textbook fashion.
Kwasniok’s deep-seated 4-4-2 in the Fortuna test didn’t work out so well. No one could manage much of anything going forward in the opening 45 minutes. Jusuf Gazibegovic scored the only goal from open play in the 2-2 draw. After Florian Kainz converted from the spot, former Stuttgart striker Hamadi Al Ghaddioui (wow!) recorded a brace to complete a comeback for the underdogs.
Leicester City actually travelled to Köln’s training camp in Graz to contest a charity match. Kwasniok’s first attempt at an “A-squad” beat the Leicester third-stringers 3-1. A 3-4-1-2 held the center well. Florian Kainz, Waldschmidt, and Sebulonsen contributed goals. Waldschmidt (twice), Maina, Ache, and Johannesson were then among those scoring in another creampuff friendly before Köln travelled back home.
A secret 120-minute test scrimmage against Vitesse Arnhem ended in a 7-4 victory behind closed doors. Apparently, Köln fell behind 0-3 before coming back behind (among other things) a Jakub Kaminski brace, a Ragnar Ache hat trick, and a Linton Maina goal. Kwasniok was very critical of some players afterwards, particularly Johannesson and now former captain Timo Hübers.
The Kölner fans packed the RheinEnergieStadion for the final pre-season friendly against Atalanta Bergamo, won by the home team 4-0. The hosts made it look easy against a sluggish Italian side with newly committed “club man” Jan Thielmann opening up the scoring. Thielmann would add a second later whilst Waldschmidt and Kaminski also scored goals.
Kölnheaded into the start of competitive play brimming with confidence thanks to an energetic performance in which they crushed a Serie A club. Nothing about the final test fixture was competitive at all. Newly appointed squad captain Marvin Schwäbe didn’t even have to make one serious save. It appeared as if the notorious prayers of the cathedral city club fans had been answered.
Of course, PRE-SEASON MEANS NOTHING!
Winners from camp, Köln
Luca Waldschmidt, CF
The former Freiburg prodigy excelled wherever Kwasniok placed him in the pre-season friendlies. Whether working as a committed central forward, a false-nine, a deep-lying short striker, Waldschmidt demonstrated a nose for the ball and an impressive understanding of space that once led to him being a €20m-valued-player and seven-times-capped German international. The now 29-year-old found his finishing feet from just about every position. Waldschmidt found himself every bit as celebrated as in the two years prior to his Benfica transfer.
Linton Maina, LW
Like Tigges, Maina found himself receiving some auditions as a wingback. Like Waldschmidt, Maina couldn’t stop scoring during the test fixtures. The former top prospect never let up in transition, looking unstoppable on counters. Maina and Waldschmidt seemed to have benefitted tremendously from their year in the 2. Bundesliga. Maina’s 11 second division assists last season left several Bundesliga clubs wondering if the 26-year-old was finally ready for the German top flight. The Berlin-native excited the Kölner fan base by declining better offers and re-signing with the Effzeh.
Jakub Kaminski, LW
Given his situation at his parent club, it came as no surprise to see the Pole play like a man possessed during the pre-season. After not scoring a goal throughout the entirety of the 2023/24 with Wolfsburg, the 23-year-old bulged the back of the next repeatedly in training camp. Kaminski angled for a regular starting spot irrespective of which flank Kwasniok had him serving on. The €5m-valued-player made a particularly strong case to start on the left ahead of Maina. Kwasniok granted this wish in the Pokal.
Ragnar Ache, CF
The former Frankfurt man gave every indication that he was ready for prime-time after three years in the second division. Like all the players already covered above, the incredibly physically gifted 27-year-old kept pounding them in throughout training camp. Most German football watchers never gave up on Ache. He always looked like a first division striker from the moment he scored his first (and to date only) Bundesliga goal for Frankfurt in May 2021. We thought we had a German Romelo Lukaku. Perhaps we still do.
Jan Thielmann, RW
The no one ever really questioned the Germany U21 international’s footballing ability or his commitment to his club. The manner in which he led the team in the final friendly awed and inspired. The 23-year-old played all the way up top on the left behind Waldschmidt. Something of a novel position for Thielmann, but he managed to lend the impression that he had been serving there his entire career. Everything one witnessed from Thielmann in camp convinced. This gem appeared finely polished.
Said El Mala, LW
The 18-year-old barely kicked a ball outside of training, yet found himself at the center of a ridiculous series of mega-money transfer rumor stories involving Brighton. That’s how much inherent talent El Mala possesses. We’ve certainly not heard the last of these. Even if the teenage talent barely kicks again this season, Isle clubs will continue to throw fat wads of cash after him. After the team’s performance in the Pokal, we might even see him feature more for the squad. That’ll only further increase the hype.
Tom Krauß, CM
The now seasoned German journeyman may not have much prospects of playing in midfield, but can and has successfully filled in at centre-back. After six moves in the last five years, one can hardly blame the 24-year-old for wanting to find some place to remain put at all costs. Naturally, van den Berg’s signing now places additional pressure on Krauß in central defense too. At the very least, Krauß counts as an interesting one to follow this season. The former RB prodigy fights for his very career.
Losers from camp, Köln
Imad Rondic, CF
Rondic might as well lead another one of these “amalgam” sections. The January 2025 addition is free to depart after just six months now that Köln have leveled up. Rondic – who actually has no Bundesliga experience – belongs with the likes of Tigges, Adamyan, and Dietz. We can toss a couple of other players with Bundesliga experience, Denis Huseinbasic and Leart Paqarada, in here. Dominique Heintz still seems likely to stay on the basis of his experience and the 32-year-old’s invaluable contributions last season.
Tactical Scout, Köln
Ahem. Once again, PRE-SEASON MEANS NOTHING!
So what happened then? Kwasniok sent most of the “winners from camp” out there as part of a starting XI that featured six new signings overall. A lineup that looked excellent on paper struggled to come up with any genuinely good ideas in the opening half-hour. Johannesson had to throw himself forward to create the first real chance in the 29th minute. There apparently weren’t any choice words from Kwasniok in the locker room as this set-up continued to flounder after the break.
Lineup—Köln (DFB Pokal)
Regensburg’s 66th-minute opener immediately led to Kwasniok refreshing the attack. The Kölner trainer brought on the more offensive-minded Lund in for Özkacar in the 68th, also swapping Thielmann for Maina. Rache, El Mala, and Forian Kainz relieved Bülter, Kaminski, and Waldschmidt in the 75th. The two dramatic late goals that turned the tide (Martel at 90+6 and Johannesson at 90+8, both set up by Ache) provide little consolation after Köln managed a paltry 0.98 xG total over the course 90 minutes.
How might things look next week against Mainz? At least Kwasniok has the squad depth to make this work. Not long after publicly complaining that he had too many players, the head-coach found himself saved by the fact that so many options lay at his disposal. Wholesale personnel changes are needed ahead of the Bundesliga opener. It also makes sense to ditch the 3-4-2-1 as it did little but lead to slow centralized play that neither challenged the opponent nor inspired the approach.
Lineup—Köln (Projected)
El Mala showed some real spark in relief with a couple of artistic long dribbles. One nevertheless notes that the youngster tried to do too much on his own and didn’t really involve his teammates. Kaminski thus retains the starting spot on the left for now, though Maina could probably succeed there as well. It might well be the case that a 4-2-3-1 anchored by Kainz could work well for this team in the top division, but Kwasniok has drilled something that enough in the friendlies. Waldschmidt, on the other hand, has amassed plenty of practice as a short striker.
Some more experienced defensive actors might need to be plugged into the back-four. Perhaps Heintz at left back or Thielmann down low right with Maina or Kainz taking over on the right flank. The author assumes van den Berg won’t be quite ready, so Krauß receives a chance to prove himself on the back line until the marquee signing can get up to speed. In the event that van den Berg is ready, Hübers should probably be the one to make way. On paper, this works well. Of course, that proved precisely the problem last time.
PRE-SEASON MEANS NOTHING!
GGFN | Peter Weis
