The 1. FC Köln found their way back to old strength at the crucial moment. If the billy goats want to climb, you now have to confirm this performance.
For weeks, the 1st FC Köln was lucky and was able to rely on regular intervals that the competition failed as well as the FC itself. In the fight for promotion to the Bundesliga, the Cologne team took place on the spot, only a victory from five games was the result of the blatant weakness.
In Nuremberg, FC now found their way back to old strength on Friday evening-also thanks to the trainer returnor Friedhelm Funkel. If you look at the results of the other teams in the upper third of the table of the 2nd Bundesliga, the turn for the billy goats came just in time. Because all clubs from the top six won their games on the 33rd matchday.
When it came to the business this weekend when it came to the decisions in the promotion battle, they were all there: the HSV even made the Bundesliga return perfect, and Elversberg, Paderborn, Kaiserslautern and Düsseldorf could not be off. None of the FC competitors failed. And so the quintet fights for everything in places in second to six on the 34th matchday.
The best chances have the 1. FC Köln, of course, only needs one counter in three points ahead of third place. But because Elversberg and Paderborn have the better goal difference, the billy goats must not rest. On the contrary: Funkel with his players has to put another, but at the same time relaxed week so that the butter can no longer be taken from the bread.
On the last match day, one thing is particularly important: resilience. The mental strength to deal with pressure. Cologne, of all people this week, ex-sports director Christian Keller liked this term, often mentioned him as a crucial criterion for success or failure. Now the players have to show that they have this quality.
Funkel should express it differently. The trainer routiner has already seen everything in professional football. Nobody has to explain anything to him anymore. He will no longer explain anything to the players, because Funkel knows: Now it is only a matter of giving FC professionals the right feeling for the last matchday. Nobody needs tactical or even psychological lectures. The 71-year-old is about the necessary serenity before the big day.
Since the opponent, the 1st FC Kaiserslautern, is still fighting for relegation place on the last matchday, the game is given special attention. Cologne’s advantage: All other competitors play away. The FC can count on its own fans in the back. A force that Funkel wants to unleash with his team – to celebrate after 90 minutes. This requires such a performance as with the late 2: 1 success in Nuremberg. Then FC has the best chance of returning to the Bundesliga.