1. FC Köln started the second half of the season with a disappointing 0-1 defeat at Hamburger SV. Those responsible clearly criticize the team.
Of all things, 1. FC Köln’s winning streak was broken in the top game at Hamburger SV. The 0-1 loss at the Volksparkstadion was the first setback after nine competitive games without defeat and cost the “Billy Billy Goats” the top spot in the 2nd Bundesliga on Saturday evening. Coach Gerhard Struber and sports director Christian Keller were annoyed by the team’s performance and were not sparing with criticism.
“It was a very manageable performance for us for a long time. We never got the right grip on the game in many phases,” explained Struber. He would have liked “that we would act much more courageously and have more confidence in ourselves.” He “didn’t get to experience the intensity, power and aggressiveness like he did in the last few months.”
Keller took a similar approach. “First and foremost, there was a lack of intensity. Overall, there weren’t enough meters, tempo runs and sprints. That’s essential for our game,” emphasized the Cologne sports director, because: “If the basic components are missing, it’s difficult to play well.”
Keller described the creation of the Hamburg penalty as “naive” and “extremely unfortunate”. After an unnecessary foul by Max Finkgräfe, HSV attacker Ransford Königsdörffer scored in the margin to make it 1-0. However, Keller’s performance in the first half was particularly thought-provoking: “The first half was the significantly weaker of two weak halves.”
The fact that FC, who were invincible before the winter break, is currently in a weak state was already announced in the test games before the start of the return campaign. Coach Struber had to say again on Saturday evening: “The boys have been having a harder time finding the start button for a few days. I’m not talking about everyone, but everyone is encouraged to take part. If one or the other takes a break If you allow it, it has an effect. Then the whole team looks like it.”
The Austrian demanded emphatically: “It is important that every individual is aware of how important their contribution is. We have to put everything into the balance that constitutes our principles. We have not been at our highest level for a few days.” The FC has to reach this level again by Saturday afternoon, then the next competitor from the top third of the table, SV Elversberg, will be waiting in the Rheinenergiestadion at home.
- On Saturday evening there were riots before the FC game against HSV. Read more about it here.
HSV coach Merlin Polzin: “We are of course happy with the result. We worked a lot on things against the ball, and the team implemented a lot of that. We also tried again and again to play forward. The situations we had were played out really well, where Marvin Schwäbe had something against it with a very good day. I’m very happy with how my team faced FC. We experienced the Volksparkstadion like it was in its best times. You could see that today. “
FC goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe: “The creativity going forward wasn’t there today. Especially in the first half, we didn’t find the duels. Hamburg did well and did a bit better. When it came to the penalty, it was a feeling that I had hoped that he would still get it “I shot more well-placed so I could deflect it to the side in a more controlled manner. It annoys me that the margin is there. We wanted to implement the match plan and bring the intensity to the pitch. We have to look for the reasons and show a different face next week.”
Cologne captain Timo Hübers: “I saw Hamburg better than us. In the first half we missed something that should actually characterize our game, especially in terms of intensity, duels and sprints. That was better in the second half and we have something Less allowed with the penalty. The Hamburg team took our hearts into their hands, sprinted at us early on and put us under pressure. We were often hasty and unclean your own nose “But let’s move on, wipe your mouth.”
HSV striker Davie Selke: “It was a special game for me against FC, I don’t need to make any secret of that. Those were my boys last year. But I now have my goal here with my boys at HSV and we are one step closer to that. The whistles at the beginning motivated me a little more if I wasn’t awake yet. So thank you for that.”