“At some point it will be the end of the day”
Angry Baumgart follows up again
October 30, 2023, 2:25 p.m
Even on the day before the cup game in Lautern, Cologne coach Baumgart is primarily concerned with his team’s poor performance in the league. He sees FC going through a terrible season until the end – and warns his professionals.
The performance of 1. FC Köln in the 6-0 defeat at RB Leipzig on Saturday is still a big burden for coach Steffen Baumgart shortly before the cup game at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Even two days later, Baumgart didn’t want to start preparing for the tricky task on Tuesday (8.45 p.m./ZDF, Sky and ntv.de live ticker) continue with the second division team. “We won’t just let this pass us by,” Baumgart announced the morning before a team meeting. “I’m curious to see how long it takes,” said the 51-year-old FC coach about the process. After the game in Leipzig he had already criticized his team’s attitude.
Baumgart now upped the ante and warned his professionals. “I always put myself in front of my team. But at some point it’s time for work,” complained the coach. “If some people can’t implement that, I have to be even more clear. I’ll go along with a lot of things. What I won’t go along with is if nobody knows what it’s about.”
In the Bundesliga, Cologne are second to last in a direct relegation zone with just four points from nine games. Baumgart sees his team in this region until the end this season. “It must be clear to everyone that we are having a very difficult year, that the relegation battle will come down to the last match day,” said Baumgart.
Worst offense vs. best offense
He expects a difficult task against the second division team. “I think we all have to be aware of what is coming to us in Lautern,” he said. Especially with regard to the atmosphere, emotions and style of play, he said, “we have to be clear and not present ourselves the way we did at times in Leipzig.” “We want to move forward with all our might.” In order to achieve this, there will be changes. From Baumgart’s point of view, the “strongest team” should play on the Betzenberg.
FC beat VfL Osnabrück 3-1 after extra time in the first round of the DFB Cup. However, things are not going well in the league, with only four points and 17th place in the table. Cologne also has the worst attack in the league with seven goals and in Kaiserslautern they face one of the best offensives in the second division (24 goals).
After a 5-0 win over Rot-Weiß Koblenz, the Lauterers are in round two of the cup and are on track in the league. Coach Dirk Schuster’s team is in sixth place with 18 points, three points behind the top three. Even if Cologne’s form is weak before the away game, Baumgart says about a possible victory: “I know that we can do it and I really hope that we will be successful.” It would be the third competitive win this season.