By promoting René Wagner to head coach, 1. FC Cologne is setting an example for more ambition. The players will also feel this.
René Wagner remains head coach of 1. FC Köln. This news on Friday is a clear sign that FC is serious about consistently relying on young talent from its own ranks. Thomas Kessler as sports director comes from the club, as does Philipp Liesenfeld as marketing director. Other current FC managers can look back on many years of association with the club.
With Wagner, Kessler is now continuing this path in the head coach position. Wagner is 37, Kessler 40 – both want to stand for a new FC. For an FC that hasn’t existed in the last 30 years. Actually not since Christoph Daum led FC to runners-up twice in the late 80s and Erich Rutemöller was in the DFB Cup final for the last time in 1991.
- 1. FC Cologne: Current news and information in the blog
- Cologne’s top talent Said El Mala: Club probably wants to pay a mega sum
Kessler and Wagner are turning FC around
The new FC should be more ambitious, more ambitious, more consistent. And still preserve the DNA of the club. Oriented towards clubs like Freiburg, who have always had their best years when they relied on homegrown players. The FC also wants to go there.
This path is also a clear message to the team. The players had hidden behind the criticism of Lukas Kwasniok in recent months. They later left their new coach out in the cold in the last three games, at Union (when they gave up a 2-0 draw and played 2-2), against Heidenheim (1-3 in the last home game) and at FC Bayern (the biggest defeat of the season at 1-5). That should have consequences.
Some players will be surprised
And it has to, because the players made it clear: As soon as things get a little better, some FC professionals start to give up. This drop in voltage was, it can be heard, an alarm signal at the Geißbockheim. Not as a sign of the head coach’s weakness, but as a sign that the squad needs to be overhauled again.
Therefore, everything not only boils down to numerous new arrivals, but also a few departures. Namely, departures that some players themselves may not have expected. Last summer, Kessler suddenly made tough decisions and banned several professionals from training. That could happen again this year. Because anyone who lets FC down shouldn’t be surprised if they no longer play a role under the new head coach Wagner.