FC Koln coach René Wagner has warned of personnel changes in defence following recent poor performances. Ahead of the home match against Werder Bremen on Saturday, the 38-year-old faces what he calls the toughest selection decision of his tenure at the club.
He said the upcoming decision would be the hardest of his time at the club. It would not be easy and there would definitely be disappointed faces. The backdrop is the heavy defeat at VfB Stuttgart last Wednesday. In the first two Bundesliga matches of this season, the Cologne defence has already conceded six goals.
Individual Errors the Main Issue
Wagner does not see the reasons for the weakness in tactical system failures, but in a lack of concentration from individual players. The coach analysed that in games like that they obviously have to defend more consistently. They did not do that in Stuttgart in situations where they simply were not attentive enough. Those were individual and not structural issues. The loss in Stuttgart interrupted a positive run, as before that the team had recorded three wins and a draw in their last four competitive matches. The full stats from recent games show this mixed form.
The defensive frailty is not a new phenomenon. In the previous Bundesliga season, 1. FC Köln conceded many goals, making them one of the worst defences in the league. The last clean sheet was several months ago. To address the problems, the club signed two experienced defenders in the summer, Gideon Mensah and Luka Lochoshvili.
Squad Situation Ahead of Bremen Game
The selection decision is complicated by injuries. According to the current injuries list, Sebastian Sebulonsen is among those unavailable. The attacker, like centre-back Timo Hübers, is currently not fit. Wagner must therefore find the right mix from the remaining squad for the important home game at the RheinEnergieSTADION. A look at the full squad list shows the available options.
Despite the setbacks, Wagner looks ahead to the upcoming tasks with a positive basic mood. The team showed promising signs in pre-season and in the opener against Hoffenheim. Now the task is to eliminate the mistakes of recent weeks and create a turnaround in front of their own fans against the northern rivals. The game against Bremen is the last chance to pick up points before the international break. After that, the team travels to face Hamburger SV away on 19 September, as the fixtures schedule shows.
