Cologne gets off to a flying start: outstanding start to the season and fresh squad power

Cologne gets off to a flying start: outstanding start to the season and fresh squad power

1. FC Köln catapulted into the new Bundesliga season with a bang. After winning the championship title in the 2nd Bundesliga, FC has made a fresh start in the top division. In the first competitive game, the DFB Cup, the team had to fight against Regensburg well into added time to prevail. But the first league didn't take long to arrive: with two wins in a row against Mainz and Freiburg, FC has already collected a lot of points. Who could testify to this better than club legend Jonas Hector, who praises the “outstanding start” and hopes for continued positive development.

Humor doesn't hurt, you could say, and that's how former striker Mark Uth spoke about his plans to say goodbye to the football season and the appeal of the Champions League. The changes in squad planning, led by sports director Thomas Kessler and squad planner Gabor Ruhr, are hard to miss. In this context, eleven new players were signed to bring a breath of fresh air into the team. Of course, this squad change also means responsibility, and so defense chief Timo Hübers, together with captain Marvin Schwäbe and the talented Eric Martel, bears the leadership burden.

New tactics and challenges

Coach Lukas Kwasniok not only introduced new faces to the team, but also tactical variability. Both a three-man and a four-man chain were rehearsed in preparation, which is already paying off: Cologne have conceded fewer goals than all other Bundesliga teams and only Bayern, Frankfurt and Dortmund have scored more goals. The offensive forces Marius Bülter, Jakub Kamiński and Jan Thielmann have been able to shine on an individual level so far. The most promising talents include the youngster Saïd El Mala and Rav van den Berg, who provide fresh impetus and are already causing a sensation in the early stages of the season.

FC got off to a successful start to the season with six points from two games. However, the coming third matchday brings with it a real challenge: against the unbeaten Wolfsburg team it will be shown who is ahead. There are also games against Leipzig and Stuttgart on the program where the team can prove itself.

DFB Cup and the next round

A look at 1. FC Köln's cup history shows how important the DFB Cup is for the club. The intensive preparation and positive results in the league give hope for a similar performance in the cup, which often serves as a springboard for great success. Information about this can be found here.

While fans look forward to the upcoming games, it remains to be seen what surprises the season has in store. The next match against Wolfsburg on September 13th, 2025 in the Volkswagen Arena will be the first real benchmark for the new squad and I see it as an exciting challenge for everyone involved. Who knows, maybe this will be a good reason to continue Cologne's high flight this season.

For even more statistics and results you can take a look here.

An exciting autumn is coming for all FCF fans! Let us hope that the positive trend continues.