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Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok finds himself under some pressure following seven consecutive fixtures without a win. Saturday’s 2-2 away draw against Heidenheim meant that Kwasniok’s Gießböcke have not won a Bundesliga match since prevailing over fellow promoted club Hamburger SV way back at the beginning of November. Many legitimate questions arise.
The 44-year-old’s “method acting” moves such as interesting sideline wardrobe selections, rambling metaphorical press conference rants, and overly candid words about some of his players begin to wear thin. Many Bundesliga journalist observe parallels to Steffen Baumgart’s “cathedral city” flat-capping. Kwasniok can pull off some interesting PR stunts, but is increasingly looking like a confused coach.
Traveling Köln supporters unfurled a “Kwasni-Yok” banner at the Voith Arena on Saturday afternoon. The word “Yok”, in German ethnic youth slang, translates to “out” or “away”. Kwasniok found himself on the defensive following the latest Bundesliga draw, failing to give convincing answers to either tough questions about his personnel selections or the banner itself.
Things won’t be getting any easier for Kwasniok and Köln either as they must face Bundesliga record champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern proved in their first match back after the turn of the new calendar year that pretty much any and every weakness with be ruthlessly punished.
Kwasniok on strange Kölner starting XI choices
Kwasniok inserted new Man City loan signing Jahmai Simpson-Pusey directly into the starting lineup despite the fact that, by the coach’s own admission, the young Englishman “doesn’t speak a word of German, has had only three training sessions, and doesn’t know half the team.” Kwasniok also reacted to his total depletion at the centre-back position by leaving Cenk Özkacar on the bench the entire time.
Eric Martel and Sebastian Sebulonsen moved into the back three while Sebastian Sebulonsen and Denis Huseinbasic received surprise starts. Said El Mala once again began the game on the bench. Luca Waldschmidt also didn’t make the matchday squad selection for “internal reasons”. Out of nowhere, 18-year-old striker Fynn Schenten made his debut on the top attacking axis.
Isak Bergmann Johannesson also remained unused on the bench throughout. Florian Kainz didn’t make the matchday selection. Some of Kwasniok’s moves paid off. Castro-Montes recorded two assists. El Mala, once brought on for Huseinbasic at the half as part of a tactical re-format, didn’t take long to score an equalizer. Kwasniok still made odd statements a the presser.
“These are tough decisions, but it’s also my job to promote young players and generate market value,” Kwasniok said. “I saw a good spirit and attitude from a bunch of players under 30 and that’s why I’m satisfied. Sometimes better is possible and good is not good enough.“
“El Mala is better as a substitute and a game-changer,” Kwasniok said of his management of the famous German phenom. “He’s one of the best in the Bundesliga at that. When he plays from the start, he works too hard and his quality suffers.“
Kwasniok on the Kölner fan banner
True to form, Kwasniok exhausted himself (and most of the reporters in the room) with his rambling long answers. Perhaps that’s why the coach opted to keep it a little more glib and boring when asked about it at the tail end of the presser. One still detected a slight tremble in Kwasniok’s voice.
“I was informed about it,” Kwasniok said. “I have no idea why and for what reason they did that. I’ll seek to establish communication [with the Kurve] in one way or another now that it’s a topic.
“I just have to move forward focusing on performance and points,” Kwasniok continued. “That’s just Köln for you. Everything’s a bit more aggressive and demanding here. For me the most important thing is how the lads are performing on the pitch.
“I saw unity today,” Kwasniok concluded. “That applies to the entire team and the coaching staff. That’s what I can influence. And now we’ll if we can’t make things a little difficult for Bayern [on Wednesday].“
GGFN | Peter Weis