1. FC Köln wins an important point in Bremen. But the performance of the first half cannot be ignored. It is a warning.
A look at the Bundesliga table shows this 1. FC Cologne comfortable for a newcomer with 15 points from twelve games in midfield. The relegation places are still far away. The point win in Bremen didn’t help the Billy Goats make a big leap, but it gave them self-confidence again after two defeats in a row.
That’s what they can do, the Cologne team: For the third time this season, Lukas Kwasniok’s team prevented a third defeat in a row with a lot of enthusiasm and morale. This is a quality that can provide a lot of peace in everyday league life. Especially since FC St. Pauli is coming to Müngersdorf in the next home game and FC wants to play for a win.
But especially with a view to the next game, FC has to be careful. Because the performance in Bremen was worrying in parts. The truth is: the first 45 minutes had nothing to do with Bundesliga football. It was only due to Bremen’s harmlessness in front of the Cologne goal that FC was able to find its way back into the game.
Weak duels, lack of discipline in the running paths, technical errors: After 45 minutes, the FC had 3:9 shots on goal, only 42 percent won duels and only a single cross into the opponent’s penalty area with only a single goal chance from Said El Mala. A half that coach Lukas Kwasniok afterwards called “wild” and for which he recognized an “energy and access problem”.
FC has to find exactly this energy again against St. Pauli and fix the causes of the total failure in the first half in Bremen. Otherwise there could be a rude awakening for Cologne against the boys from Millerntor. In any case, the performance is a warning that things cannot work that way at Bundesliga level. Fortunately, the Billy Goats have already shown many times this season that they know how to do it right.