Bundesliga - Cologne coach search over: Schultz succeeds Baumgart
With his rain jacket in his arms and a friendly "Looks good here", Timo Schultz marched onto the training pitch at 1. FC Köln. The Bundesliga club had only just announced the appointment of the 46-year-old as its new head coach, exactly two weeks after parting ways with his predecessor Steffen Baumgart.
And Schultz got to work straight away, leading the first session at the Geißbockheim. The mission is clear: to prevent Cologne's seventh Bundesliga relegation. "We will work hard and intensively over the next few weeks to achieve the necessary results," said the 46-year-old. The goal is to avoid relegation, "we will achieve that, I am 100 percent convinced of that."
The former professional was most recently head coach at Swiss first division club FC Basel, where he was let go in September. He had previously coached second-division club FC St. Pauli from 2020 to 2022, for whom he also played as a player from 2005 to 2012. After the end of his playing career, the soccer coach was initially assistant coach at St. Pauli's professional team and later spent six years as head coach at Hamburg's youth training center before working as a second division coach at the Hanseatic club for 92 games.
Difficult mission
"He has the personality and expertise to raise the performance potential of our team," said sporting director Christian Keller about the new coach. "A big task awaits us in the coming days, weeks and months."
However, the new task is likely to be a very difficult mission for Schultz: In sporting terms, things have not gone well at all for Cologne so far this season. After just two wins in 16 games, the club is in a direct relegation spot and is three points off 15th place in the table.
In addition, the club is not allowed to sign any new players during the winter break or next summer following a transfer ban imposed by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport Cas. Schultz will therefore have to work with the existing squad until January 2025. And the legacy of his predecessor Baumgart, who is still popular with FC fans, makes his task in Cologne even more difficult.
More attacking football
Shortly before Christmas, one day after the 2-0 defeat at Union Berlin,Baumgart and Cologne prematurely ended their collaboration, which had actually been agreed until 2025. However, the FC bosses immediately emphasized that the new coach's playing philosophy should still be similar to that of the old coach. That means continuing to play attacking soccer, but with fewer goals conceded. In addition, more young players are to be integrated into the professional squad.
Schultz will sit on the bench for the first time in a Cologne match on Saturday (2 p.m.), in a test match at third-division club Rot-Weiß Essen. Cologne's first Bundesliga match with the new coach will be against 1. FC Heidenheim on January 13 (3.30 pm/Sky).
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- Timo Schultz expressed confidence in preventing 1. FC Köln's seventh Bundesliga relegation, stating, "We will achieve that, I am 100 percent convinced of that."
- Schultz's predecessor, Steffen Baumgart, was well-liked by FC Köln fans, adding complexity to Schultz's task in the city.
- FC St. Pauli, where Schultz previously coached and played, is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, just like Köln.
- Schultz had a successful spell as head coach at Swiss first division club FC Basel before his recent departure.
- In search of a new trainer, 1. FC Köln looked beyond the Bundesliga, considering candidates from various European leagues, including FC Basel.
- To enhance the squad, Schultz may rely on the integration of young players, following the philosophy of his predecessor, Baumgart.
- Schultz will be faced with challenges, including a transfer ban and a struggling team sitting in the relegation zone, as he prepares for his first Bundesliga match with Köln against 1. FC Heidenheim.
Source: www.stern.de
