With the start of preparations for the second part of the season, Steffen Baumgart declared a relegation battle for his team. In these he will probably go with a new striker.
Steffen Baumgart has his team before the restart of the Soccer Bundesliga committed to a fight to remain in the class. “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 it’s down at the moment,” said the 50-year-old to the “Express”.
With only three points distance of the table-13. caution should be exercised regarding the relegation rank. “Once we’ve increased the distance, we can talk about other goals,” said Baumgart.
“It was very hard”
The coach referred to the bad luck with injuries, the departure of important top performers such as Anthony Modeste and Salih Özcan (both Dortmund) last summer and the recent hunt for appointments: “The last few months have been very exhausting and have drained my strength. I felt tired and to be exhausted – but never that it’s the wrong job. I still think the tight schedule and the appointments are wrong. I think everyone can imagine that a program like this doesn’t go unnoticed.”
When asked whether the table seventh from last season would be better off without participating in the European Cup, Baumgart replied: “I don’t allow such thoughts. We had worked hard for the Conference League. This participation made me hungry for more. I have that Feeling that this was not a flash in the pan. We can take this step again.”
Selke approaching?
According to a “kicker” report, striker Davie Selke is about to switch from Hertha BSC to 1. FC Cologne. The 27-year-old has been under contract with the Berliners since 2017, but this expires next summer. In the current season, Selke played 13 games in the Bundesliga for Hertha – but mostly only as a backup player. The “Kicker” reports that the striker has already agreed on a contract with Cologne.
