Amazing things are happening at 1. FC Köln. The billy goats are praised everywhere. FC is even playing a role again in the DFB. That wasn’t foreseeable.
The first ten Bundesliga matchdays changed 1. FC Köln. Six months ago, at the beginning of May, the coach and sports director were fired because promotion was at risk. Now things are almost running smoothly in League One, and Saïd El Mala is once again outshining this good start to the season.
A look at the statistics shows: 1. FC Köln rightly belongs in the top half of the table after ten match days. The FC scored the sixth most goals, fired the fifth most shots on goal, put together the seventh best defense, garnished with the eighth best pass rate and the third most kilometers run in the league. In addition, FC won more duels than their opponents in eight out of ten games.
All of these are the ingredients for early success in the season under new coach Lukas Kwasniok. Made possible by an excellent transfer period in the summer, which has now also earned sports director Thomas Kessler great praise. The trade magazine “Kicker” named Kessler and FC the best manager of the summer. The billy goats were miles away from that in previous years.
Kessler and Kwasniok have made FC competitive again. The bitter derby defeat in Mönchengladbach doesn’t change that. Even after the duel at Borussia, those responsible saw something positive in the defeat: the arch-rival had given the ball to FC despite the home advantage, had great respect for the billy goats, and signaled that the Kwasniok team is actually the better team at the moment. That hasn’t happened for years either.
Now in Cologne it is traditionally dangerous to think too positively. The FC has often managed to reverse such trends. But rarely in recent years has FC seemed as stable and goal-oriented as it has recently. The fans can identify with the team again. The players tear their supporters from their seats again. And then there is Saïd El Mala, who should be dizzy after his rocket-like rise.
But so far it has mostly only been the opponents who have felt dizzy. The fact that there is an FC professional in the German national team for the first time since Jonas Hector electrifies the crowds in Cologne. It doesn’t matter that the 19-year-old hasn’t been used yet. El Mala is currently one of the hottest places in Europe. And that hasn’t happened at FC for many years.
There is therefore a great chance for FC to get the next points in the Bundesliga in the next three games against Frankfurt, Bremen and St. Pauli. The billy goats then travel to Leverkusen for the next derby. Then the people of Cologne want to do better than in Gladbach. By Christmas there is an excellent starting situation for the new year – including the prospect of further transfers for an even stronger squad. The FC in autumn 2025 looks like it has been transformed. Especially considering where this club comes from.