Köln goes into the winter break celebrating because the six-point package came at just the right time. FC coach Steffen Baumgart, however, didn’t just want to highlight match-winner Modeste.
The 1. FC Köln has ended the so mixed December perfectly. The Geißbock club followed up the draw in Bielefeld (1:1) and the home defeat against Augsburg (0:2, which left them only three points away from 16th place) with two victories. The 3:2 in Wolfsburg and the 1:0 against Stuttgart at the end of the first half of the season were the first two wins in a row this season. The double came at “the right time”, said Cologne’s sporting director Jörg Jakobs after the final whistle of the 2021 calendar year.
FC sporting director Jakobs does not expect any changes to the squad
However, he did not want to get too euphoric in view of eighth place with a three-point gap to the Champions League places and eight points ahead of 16th place (VfB Stuttgart). “The league is extremely close together, so we should look down from time to time, collect points and see what comes out of it,” Jakobs continued.
At least Cologne are in a sporting situation in which they do not have to use the winter transfer phase to make any squad corrections. Even if such questions do not depend on a match like today, as Jakobs notes, the FC sporting director is relaxed about this transfer window. “We are not planning with new arrivals or departures. If any things happen that we don’t know about today, then we will react to it. “
The 89th minute rounds off Cologne’s Hinserie
The focus of Cologne’s current bliss was once again Anthony Modeste. The centre-forward struck in the 89th minute, as he did for the winning goal during the week, and now has eleven first-round goals to his name – in his best season with FC so far (2016/17, 25 goals in total), the powerful attacker had netted 13 times in the winter. For the 33-year-old Frenchman, however, this evening was also a very special one for other reasons, because: “Exactly three years ago today, I lost my dad. I think he was there for me in this action, so it was a bit emotional for me,” Modeste told DAZN after the final whistle.
I lost my dad exactly three years ago today. I think he was there for me in this action.
On the pitch, FC coach Steffen Baumgart had hugged the visibly emotional Modeste, the striker slapped his coach three times on the back with the flat of his hand – a sign of thanks, after all it was Baumgart who gave the striker new confidence. “We were honest with each other. That’s awesome for me,” Modeste said of his performance explosion.
Baumgart and Modeste: First consolation, then criticism and late praise
Baumgart, however, was not sparing in his criticism of Modeste, as the coach found the play of his match-winner “especially in the first half not so sparkling”. And even after the final whistle, he did not want to join in the general Modeste adulation: “We can all celebrate Tony again now, but for me, something else was decisive,” said Baumgart, alluding to the three substitutions in the 57th minute.
Jonas showed his qualities, what he has been doing here for years, leading the way and being a leader.
This allowed nominal left-back Jonas Hector in particular to move further forward and have more of an impact on the Geißbock eleven’s flagging play from a more central position. “We then had more access. Jonas showed his qualities, which he has been doing here for years, namely leading the way and being a leader,” Baumgart praised his captain on DAZN.
And in the end, Modeste also got a few verbal strokes from his coach: “You have to have a certain quality to make the header exactly like that,” said the former striker about the action in the 89th minute, which enraptured 15,000 Cologne supporters in the stadium.
