"Before Gladbach would be nice" - Kwasniok to keep Cologne in the Bundesliga

1. FC Köln introduced their new head coach, Lukas Kwasniok. He appeared in good spirits during his presentation and spoke on a wide range of topics: goals, young talent, the squad—and their Rhineland rival Mönchengladbach.

"First, we want to steer the tanker into calmer waters in the Bundesliga ," Kwasniok explained regarding his goals with 1. FC Köln. By this, the 44-year-old naturally meant avoiding relegation as early as possible, which is paramount for the newly promoted team. When asked about a possible European dream with Köln, the new coach postponed an answer for at least a year.

Sporting Director Thomas Kessler, who also attended the press conference, said of the appointment of the new head coach: "We have been observing him since his time in Saarbrücken and then, of course, in Paderborn. During the discussions, it quickly became clear that he was a good fit for us, both professionally and personally."

Kwasniok is already the second former Paderborn coach to move to Cologne. The new coach somewhat dismissed comparisons with former FC coach Steffen Baumgart. Of course, there are some parallels, but differences are particularly noticeable in terms of team leadership and footballing ideas. "There was a Baumi 1.0 and now a Luki 1.0." Under Baumgart, Cologne even reached the Europa League, but were subsequently relegated while Baumgart was still largely on the sidelines.

Kessler, in particular, spoke about the game plan that should prevail under Kwasniok, and one thing was important to him: "Play variably." In any case, this phrase was heard repeatedly from Kessler. "Of course, we have certain ideas with Lukas regarding the game plan. But whether it's a back three or a back four is secondary for now," Kessler said. One must be aware that Cologne will be the underdog in at least almost all of their away games.

Kwasniok and Kessler also commented extensively on the squad: "The team has the potential to avoid relegation." Nevertheless, the new coach made it clear that the team could still change. They were working on a "moving train." Neither Kessler nor Kwasniok commented on specific names. The sporting director simply stated: "We are currently in good discussions with one or two players."

Regarding possible contract extensions for key players such as Eric Martel, Damion Downs, and Jan Thielmann, the sporting director explained: "The first good discussions have taken place, but currently all the guys are concentrating on their respective tournaments. That's understandable, and we are incredibly proud of them."

Regarding the composition of the squad, much remained unclear. Kwasniok also commented on the youth team – referring to the U19 team, currently the German champions: "If players, regardless of age, have quality, I won't stop them from showing it on the pitch."

And then, after much professional and factual discussion, it finally became emotional – just as they like it in Cologne. Kwasniok was asked if he would be going to Carnival or what he had already seen of Cologne. "Well, I won't be going, I probably won't be able to," he explained with a smile. But Cologne is all about emotion and feeling: "I'd like to be remembered as a 'Kölscher Jung' one day."

As if that wasn't Cologne-like enough, Kwasniok then said something else that was sure to be well-received by all FC fans and caused a lot of chuckling in the room: "We don't need to talk about the table, but it would probably be nice if we could finish ahead of Gladbach."

• WDR
• 1. FC Cologne
• Bundesliga
• football
• Lukas Kwasniok