While Mark Uth should be fit in time for the game in Mainz Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart is cautious in the case of Ellyes Skhiri, but leaves a back door open for the midfield engine.
When Steffen Baumgart asked his professionals to train on Tuesday, two important players were missing apart from the internationals: sixth man Ellyes Skhiri and idea man Mark Uth. The prognosis for the latter is relatively clear. “The cold is subsiding. I expect him to be on the pitch by Thursday at the latest. Maybe he will already start running on Wednesday,” explained the FC coach.
The case of Skhiri, who broke the head of his fibula six weeks ago but has been training individually since last week, is a little more complicated. However, Baumgart is not currently planning to use the Tunisian for Sunday’s match in Mainz.
“At the moment he is very, very good in training. Everything is working. But with a fracture, the healing process must be completed. It’s of no use to us if he says he feels fine,” Baumgart described the state of affairs. “We have to take everything into account that the consequences are not worse than what they are now. “
“I don’t want to make any predictions “
Skhiri and Baumgart still lack the green light from the medical department. Consequently, the coach is not counting on his perennial runner for the next game. “No, I wouldn’t schedule him for Sunday. As long as I don’t get a ‘go’, it’s no use saying I’m counting on him in Mainz,” explained Baumgart, who wouldn’t necessarily order the international straight into the starting eleven after such a long break from the game, despite his class.
The FC coach justifies this with the performance of Skhiri’s substitutes, Salih Özcan and Dejan Ljubicic. “You have to say, the others did well too,” argues the 49-year-old, even if he leaves a back door open for Skhiri: “When he’s on the training pitch with the others, he’ll also catch up again relatively quickly.”
An X-ray showing a completely healed fracture could therefore change the situation abruptly. It’s not for nothing that Baumgart says: “I don’t want to make any predictions. “
“I think we have enough possibilities “
Despite the high esteem in which Skhiri is held, the coach refuses to blame the lack of success on the Tunisian’s absence. Even though the “Effzeh” have not yet won a Bundesliga match this season without the midfielder. “I have read: We’ve only won one out of the last eight games – but we’ve also only lost two, at Dortmund and Hoffenheim,” he countered. “That’s happened to others too. “
To pin the drought of just two points from the last four league games solely on Skhiri’s absence is simply too cheap for Baumgart. “I think we have enough opportunities to win games. And not that it’s because Ellyes wasn’t there. Otherwise it’s only because of Tony Modeste or Skhiri. Then we should stop!”
