Köln interim head coach René Wagner expresses belief in his squad amid relegation pressure: “Other teams would have fallen apart against Frankfurt.”

Köln interim trainer René Wagner exuded plenty of calm ahead of his second Bundesliga fixture. The man tasked with helping Germany’s cathedral city club avoid relegation has every reason to trust his team after they impressively rallied from a two-goal deficit against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. Wagner’s team scored twice in the last 20 minutes to nick a 2-2 draw off Albert Riera’s Eintracht. 

Wagner sat beside Albert Riera at the Easter Sunday post-match press conference, delivering a demeanor that stood in stark contrast to his frenetic and animated opposite member. Wagner – who actually has plenty of international experience as a player in addition to loads of time working underneath Steffen Baumgart – seems to possess the poise of a veteran head coach. 

The 38-year-old doesn’t sound like a rookie. How Wagner’s Domstädter will fare against fellow relegation candidates Werder Bremen (plagued by injuries and unrest in their ranks) shall prove interesting. Unlike his sacked predecessor Lukas Kwasniok, Wagner doesn’t reach for colorful metaphors or call out reporters.

Köln may fancy their chances of bagging a massive three points at home at the RheinEnergieStadion with the stoic Wagner at the helm. The Dresden native has already earned plenty of plaudits for his proverbial “Midas Touch”. His three substitutes – Marius Bülter, Alessio-Castro Montes, and Luca Waldschmit – all played a role in the crucial equalizer in the Frankfurt match. 

René Wagner on why he trusts his Köln troops

I believe I’ve done a good job over the last few weeks instilling in the team that we don’t have to internalize the outside pressure,” Wagner responded when asked how big the pressure on his team to pull out a victory was. “We address that with the team on a daily basis. We seek to not let it seep into the team, but rather to emanate calm.

After the 2-0 in Frankfurt, the team possessed enough calm to know that they had the strength to come back,” Wagner continued. “Other teams would have fallen apart after the 2-0. It does us a lot of good to remain calm internally. The mood among us is composed and serene. We know the situation, but it’s not healthy to think everyday about what could potentially happen.

We simply wish to execute the work,” Wagner concluded. “All I can say is that the team played well against Eintracht and also well against RB Leipzig [at home in Kwasniok’s final match. We could have gotten more out of that Leipzig match. That’s what we use as the basis for our work.

GGFN | Peter Weis

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

How Real Madrid’s Next Five La Liga Games Compare to Barcelona’s

What was an exciting La Liga title race is now nothing more than a victory lap for Barcelona in the final month of the season. Real Madrid’s return to form ahead of the March international break reignited the fight for the Spanish crown, setting up what appeared to be a photo-finish for the second consecutive

Watch: Barcelona star put through training ground tunnel of slaps

A member of the midfield ranks at La Liga champions Barcelona was on Friday put through a traditional ‘tunnel of slaps’ at the club’s training ground. The player in question? Frenkie de Jong. Dutch international De Jong has for his part not taken to the pitch in a competitive setting since all the way back

Kompany Keeps Cards Close as Bayern Balance Rotation Ahead of Real Madrid Clash

With Bayern Munich set to face St. Pauli in the Bundesliga just days before a decisive Champions League second leg against Real Madrid, Vincent Kompany, just like Alvaro Arbeloa, is tasked with balancing rotations. Speaking ahead of the match, Kompany made it clear that rotation will remain part of Bayern’s approach, but not at the

‘He is special’ – Arda Turan sees bright future for AZ star Kees Smit as Real Madrid & Barcelona target stands out in defeat to Shakhtar

High praise from a Turkish legend Following Shakhtar’s convincing “Regardless of the result, it’s important to talk about good players and meet them,” Turan told reporters. “We couldn’t get him under control in the first half. He organized his team’s play very well. I think he will become a massive player for the Dutch national

Serie A | Roma vs Pisa – Official Starting Lineups

Roma host Pisa at the Stadio Olimpico this evening, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s Giallorossi side look to hang on to their dreams of Champions League football next season, whilst the visitors scramble for any points that can help them to avoid relegation. Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content –

Di Canio: De Zerbi ‘should have swum across the English Channel’ for Tottenham

West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio jokes that Roberto De Zerbi should have joined Tottenham by swimming ‘across the English Channel’ given that Spurs spend €250m every year.’ Former Italian striker Di Canio released an interview with Corriere della Sera, during which he also discussed De Zerbi’s recent appointment as Tottenham’s head coach. Advertisement The

Official: Dates, times and venues confirmed for Italy’s June friendlies

Italy will play June friendlies away from home, visiting Luxembourg and Greece on June 3 and 7, respectively. Italy games in June 2026: official times and dates The Italian Football Association has confirmed the dates and times for Italy’s next two friendly games in June. Advertisement Italy will play Luxembourg at the Stade de Luxembourg

Vivien Endemann: Liverpool agree deal to sign Germany forward

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Germany international Vivien Endemann when her contract expires at Wolfsburg this summer. The 24-year-old forward will join on 1 July following three seasons with Wolfsburg and a seven-year stay in her homeland. Endemann has 17 senior international caps for her country, scoring three times, and was part of

Spalletti’s extension not enough: Juventus need ‘four big signings,’ says ex-winger

Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro believes the Bianconeri must complete four top-level signings to compete for the Serie A title and the Champions League next season: ‘Spalletti isn’t a magician.’ Juventus are fighting for a Champions League spot, sitting fifth in the Serie A table, one point below Como. Advertisement However, the Azzurri have a

Manuel Neuer stars against Real Madrid; No decision on Bayern Munich future

Manuel Neuer starred in Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night. In doing so, the 40-year-old became the first goalkeeper since data collection to record nine saves against the Spanish giants at their home in a knockout-match, per Opta. “Many made come incredible saves,” remarked Vincent Kompany,

Report: Italy international Bastoni doesn’t want to leave Inter for Barcelona

Italy international Alessandro Bastoni has been strongly linked with a move away from Inter to join Barcelona during the summer transfer window, but Friday’s reports indicate that the left-sided centre-back is not particularly keen on the idea of leaving San Siro. Reports Bastoni doesn’t want to leave Inter for Barcelona Recent reports claim that Inter

Spalletti’s new Juventus contract comes with transfer promises: More than a coach

Juventus are expected to announce that head coach Luciano Spalletti has signed a new contract on Friday, and reports from multiple outlets in Italy indicate that the Bianconeri tactician will have a big sway on future transfer decisions. Spalletti took over from Igor Tudor as head coach of Juventus in October and signed an initial

Leon Goretzka reflects on his decision to leave Bayern Munich

Leon Goretzka has been an important player at the club since the 2018/19 season when he immediately made his impact felt with 8 goals and 5 assists in just the Bundesliga that season. Goretzka would go onto an even more successful season winning the sextuple under Hansi Flick in 2020 being a core member of

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x