Model Inter Milan
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After a mixed start to the season, 1. FC Köln has become the top team in the 2nd Bundesliga over the past few weeks. The relegated team spent the winter at the top of the table and still lived up to expectations in the end. Nine games in a row without defeat, eight wins and a place in the round of the last eight in the DFB Cup speak for themselves – and for coach Gerhard Struber. The 47-year-old now took stock of his first six months in the cathedral city in detail.
It was “emotional,” the Austrian attested in an interview with “Kicker.” “Like a roller coaster (editor’s note: Austrian for roller coaster) I would say. I met a new team and we came up with a new game idea. And after a while I noticed that the team was still carrying around a backpack from last season that they had to gradually empty. At the same time, extreme emotionality could be felt from all sides: in the stadium, in the city, in the club. FC is not just a football club, it is more, it has a magnetic attraction. There are home games against Ulm here with an atmosphere that only exists in the Champions League. Even though it was difficult at times, it’s really fun to be a coach here.”
Struber at 1. FC Cologne: “Maybe started with a little cockiness”
Struber’s record after 20 competitive games includes twelve wins, four draws and four defeats. Until autumn, the FC had to accept repeated setbacks. The victory in the second cup round at the end of October against Holstein Kiel seemed to be a solution for the team, which then only lost two points against Hannover 96 until the end of the year.
“We started the season with very attractive football and perhaps a bit of arrogance. Then we realized that it wasn’t happening as quickly as we would all like, and we made good decisions based on this situation: Firstly with the system, at the same time we have more experience on the pitch. That was good for us. We are now on the right track and are getting better and better. But we’re still nowhere near the point where I can say: Man, we’re playing really good ball! At times, yes, but there are also moments when we find it difficult to maintain control. The results are correct, but there is a lot to do,” said Struber.
“In this league, nothing is given to you,” the coach knows and clarified: “Some teams may have a small name on them – but there is really good football in there. It requires extreme attention and basics at a very high level. If we can do that, we will be at the top for a long time.” Accordingly, the style of play was adapted step by step to the conditions in the league. Struber explained that the focus was on stability and described this phase as an intermediate step: “We want to build a beautiful house on top of it. Then the attractiveness with which we take people with us comes back, so that everyone says: Wow, it’s awesome how FC plays football. That is my goal as a trainer. With dominance and control.”
1. FC Köln: Struber does not rule out transfers – talents “good enough”
Struber wanted his squad to play attractive football, but he also went through a learning process. “I’m willing to pay a certain price for the zero goals conceded, which has to do with attractiveness. That means one or two fewer chances. At the same time, despite the zero, we are always good for a goal.” In Estepona, Spain, the coach and team are preparing for the second half of the season, which begins with the prestigious duel against Hamburger SV on January 18th. We continue to work on tactics and variability there. When asked whether he would stick to the three-man chain in the long term, Struber said: “What matters is what the team feels comfortable with. And that’s just the three-man chain. I’m a proponent of two strikers, so my question is: which system helps the two the most? It would be nice to be variable with both systems. You have to grind that in, and the training camp in Spain will definitely help.”
Behind FC Schalke 04, Struber currently has the largest squad in the 2nd Bundesliga. While several players are considered to be leaving in the winter, the coach is not ruling out further newcomers after Jusuf Gazibegovic (24). You need this competition, “just in case of an injury. I’d rather moderate a large squad than have too few players available.” Given the talent situation and the good development of players like Damion Downs (20) or Julian Pauli (19), there’s no need for it in the second half of the season lots of new players. Our talents are good enough to move towards the Bundesliga.”
Cologne coach Struber: “Luxury problem” at the back left
The fact that home grown Max Finkgräfe (20) has not yet managed to take the next step is due to Leart Paçarada (30). “As a defender, he actually doesn’t have it that easy with his basic business, defending. But Leart has adapted and now defends well forwards and backwards. At the same time, he could actually also be on the road as a ten. He plays balls that are really special, like a left-wing playmaker.” Paçarada also gets along well with winger Linton Maina (25), “there is a very good synergy there. Max had an injury and is training well, he played very well against Berlin in the DFB Cup, no question. But Leart is at a good altitude, he just deserves to play. I’m not someone who says: I’m going to throw him out of the team now. With the two of them it’s a luxury problem that isn’t easy for Max. But what counts for me is the performance, which is good and reliable at Leart.”
The 47-year-old also took a stand on the much-discussed goalkeeper question. Jonas Urbig (21) lost his regular place again to veteran Marvin Schwäbe (29) and has been regularly linked with a departure ever since. An emotional personality in the club environment, Urbig is considered one of the most promising FC talents of the recent past. “Changing the goalkeeper over the course of the season was a process after it became clear that we were missing some security and experience on the way to achieving our goals. Marvin Schwäbe is currently our number 1 and has my full trust. For me it’s about making decisions with the team that I am convinced will help them. And Marvin is currently a very important factor. Which doesn’t mean at all that Jonas isn’t a good goalkeeper. Quite the opposite. (…) I also see what makes it so interesting for the future. But I have to deliver in the here and now. That’s important to me as a coach.”
With a view to the upcoming tasks in the second half of the season, Struber was confident: “We want to be at the front for as long as possible. But I also felt that as soon as we concentrate too much on the results, the already great pressure becomes even greater. That’s why we’re just talking about the next opponent.” When it comes to playing style, he has a role model in mind like Inter Milan in the future. “They are incredibly stable, hardly allow anything to happen and celebrate narrow victories. Italians, that’s something. Other top teams that play like this rely on dynamism, wit and running feints, which are the most difficult to defend. It’s exciting to see how different teams live the 3-4-3 system and are still successful.”
He is a big fan of “these switching moments if we make them efficient. From the compression, quickly forward behind the last line, like with the third goal against Nuremberg. This determination, with few passes – I like that. But it’s also about positional play against deep opponents, where many different running patterns are needed to overcome the opponent. I would like to be as attractive as we were again. And at the same time don’t lose stability. This is a balancing act that we have to manage. This requires flexibility so that we can change as necessary based on a basic order. In the freeze frame there are perhaps two tens and a six in front of two central defenders, even though we started in 3-4-3. But that’s what it takes to be successful.” In general, the Cologne playing system is clear: “We want to play offensively and defend going forward. These are my principles. I always ask myself: Which system will help me implement this well? If I have a back four and want to press high but only have one striker on the pitch, I immediately have a problem because I can’t build up the pressure with an attacker. If I have a 5-3-2, I can do it much better.”