Köln’s Carnival hangover after strong start to season

Although Bayern are away to Köln for the first time in the Bundesliga since their promotion back to the big time, Wednesday’s game isn’t their first time in the Cathedral City this season. The Munich men were there as recently as October for a DFB second-round tie, winning 4-1.

Long known for its Carnival atmosphere, the RheinEnergieStadion was in real party mood after Ragnar Ache put the hosts ahead on the half-hour mark. But Bayern were in no mood for that, as Luis Díaz and Harry Kane flipped the game on its head in the space of seven minutes. Kane and Michael Olise then added gloss to the scoreline in the second half. Looking back now, that defeat was the start of a change for Köln. Find out more about the Billy Goats ahead of this midweek round of Bundesliga fixtures.

Downward spiral

The Sunday after that cup exit at the hands of Bayern saw Köln produce an excellent response by beating Hamburg 4-1 at home in the Bundesliga thanks to goals from Ache, Florian Kainz, Said El Mala and Jakub Kaminski. They were waving their red and white scarves all around the stadium in Cologne with the official start of Carnival on 11 November just days away. And they had every reason to be happy, sitting in seventh place with 14 points from nine games following their top-flight return.

However, they’ve suffered a prolonged Carnival hangover since then. They lost their next game 3-1 away at arch-rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, sparking a collapse in form. Including that derby, the Billy Goats have failed to win any of their last seven games, losing four and drawing three. It’s seen them drop to 11th place in the table with one match to go until the season’s halfway mark. It’s still a position they would’ve taken after gaining promotion, but they’ve been sliding slowly down towards the danger zone, with St. Pauli in the play-off spot only five points behind and with a game in hand.

On Saturday they got a 2-2 draw away at second-from-bottom Heidenheim, with Eric Martel and El Mala twice bringing them level. Coach Lukas Kwasniok produced some surprises with his team selection, including starts for 18-year-old Fynn Schenten and 20-year-old new signing Jahmai Simpson-Pusey. Rising star El Mala was brought on at half-time, while summer arrival and early-season key performer Isak Johannesson remained an unused sub. “They’re tough decisions, but I took the job not just to keep the club up but also develop it. That can only be done with tough decisions,” Kwasniok explained.

Defensive reshuffle

The coach has an issue in defence, though. Martel is suspended for five yellow cards, while Rav van den Berg serves the final game of a ban for a red card. “Eric is – regardless of which game – a factor, so his absence obviously hurts. But we’ll try to make up for that, just like we did with Rav,” said captain and goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe after the Heidenheim game. Luca Kilian and Timo Hübers are both out for the long term with knee injuries, while fellow defenders Joel Schmied (thigh) and Dominique Heintz (adductor) have also joined them in the treatment room. After Martel, Simpson-Pusey and Sebastian Sebulonsen started against Heidenheim, Kwasniok will again have to improvise at the back.

Bayern have been a regular threat at corners and free-kicks this season, scoring 15 times from set pieces. Köln, on the other hand, have conceded 15 goals from dead balls. Both are the highest total in the division. But both teams also like to move about and top the standings for most kilometres covered per game, with Bayern (124) just ahead of their hosts on Wednesday (121).

Köln’s 3-4-3 system

Köln’s approach under Kwasniok is to be active and mobile, with players needing to give their all mentally and physically. When building up, they like to draw their opponents into certain areas before unleashing with precise passes or long balls. Kwasniok likes flexibility instead of rigid systems, giving his players the freedom to make their own decisions. They’re particularly keen on getting down the wings and dribbling through the likes of El Mala or Kaminski.

The Billy Goats vary their pressing depending on the situation, switching between aggressive and high or dropping into a compact block. Either way, they want to counter quickly. And however they do it, Köln’s goal on Wednesday will be to arrest their negative form against Bayern.

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