National coach Julian Nagelsmann is desperately looking for “workers”, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is desperately looking for a “holding six”. 1. FC Cologne already has one.
Eric Martel is certainly not a big name in the Bundesliga business yet. His record is impressive, at just 21 years old he has already played 37 Bundesliga games, five games in the Conference League and 48 in Austria’s Bundesliga. But Martel is not a man for the spectacle; he tends to stay in the background as a diligent clearer in front of the defensive line.
But it is precisely this role that makes Martel interesting at the moment. FC Bayern Munich, who will be visiting Cologne on Friday at 8:30 p.m. on the 12th Bundesliga matchday, is also looking for a player with exactly his qualities: strong in tackles and running, clear in his game structure and, above all, primarily defensive-minded. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel called this role “Holding Six”.
Kimmich and Goretzka too offensive?
In the summer, FCB tried in vain to bring Joao Palhinha to Munich. Apparently Tuchel does not see Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka or Konrad Laimer as a “holding six” that ensures stability in the defensive midfield.
The topic is currently relevant again because national coach Julian Nagelsmann has identified a similar bottleneck in the national team. After the disaster against Austria (0:2) and repeated poor defensive performances, he mused that perhaps one less top talent would be needed, but one more “worker” – that is, one worker, a “Holding Six”.
Robert Andrich with little match practice
Nagelsmann has so far relied primarily on Ilkay Gündogan and Pascal Groß in the six-man position alongside Goretzka and Kimmich. Both have their qualities above all in the offensive, in their build-up play, in their ability to score goals – even more clearly than Kimmich and Goretzka. After countless weak results in various constellations, the realization finally seems to have prevailed that a defensive specialist is needed in midfield.
Robert Andrich is one of those, he came on as a substitute against Austria and made his international debut at the age of 29. However, Andrich is currently only a substitute player at Bayer Leverkusen and is only allowed to start in the cup and the Europa League, if at all. Without constant match practice he will have a difficult time in the national team.
Rani Khedira, also 29 years old, is also often mentioned. He was part of Union Berlin’s high flight and often had to watch, injured or suspended during the current series of defeats.
Martel is captain of the U21s
The search for other German midfielders quickly leads to Martel, especially because of his role in the U21 national team. He is captain and leading player there and has already played 14 games, most recently scoring his first goal in the important European Championship qualifier against the previous league leaders Poland (3-1).
Martel’s career path seems well thought out so far. The Straubing native moved from Jahn Regensburg to RB Leipzig’s youth team as a 15-year-old. As a young professional, he was allowed to sit on the bench for the first team and sometimes play for two minutes in the cup, but the way to the starting eleven was still a long way.
Signed for 1.2 million euros
A loan to Vienna followed, where Martel was the undisputed regular at Austria under coach Peter Stöger. At the start of the 2022/23 season, RB Leipzig let Martel move to 1. FC Köln for 1.2 million euros. Today his market value is likely to be around ten times that, and Martel’s contract runs until the summer of 2026.
FC coach Steffen Baumgart emphasizes Martel’s ambition and consistency. “So far I’ve only seen an easy way up with Eric and I haven’t seen a really bad game yet,” he said in March.
Cologne’s most important player
Since Ellyes Skhiri’s departure to Eintracht Frankfurt, Martel has been placed in defensive midfield, perhaps the most important player in the squad. When he was missing from the fourth to sixth matchday with Achilles tendon problems, FC suffered defeats against Hoffenheim (1:3), Bremen (1:2) and Stuttgart (0:2).
The idea is that the 2024 home European Championship comes too early for Martel, his international experience is too limited, and times are too difficult at 1. FC Köln. However, the situation of the national team is special at the moment and Nagelsmann is good for surprises. So it seems entirely possible that he will watch the game between Cologne and Munich on Friday – and take a close look at FC’s defensive midfield.