“All Year for the Ass”

Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart has not come out as a big fan of the World Cup date in the past. He emphasized this attitude again before the Bundesliga restarted.

“We didn’t have a Bundesliga for ten weeks. I don’t think that’s even in the summer. This whole year is for the ass,” he said express quoted. The result of the long break was a tight schedule beforehand, so Effzeh had to play 24 games in 106 days.

“If I’m angry, I could say that the international competition came in exactly the wrong year for us,” said Baumgart, who led Cologne into the Conference League in his first season.

However, it was already over there after the group phase, so that the second half of the season will be a little more relaxed from a scheduling perspective. “I’m assuming that we’ll be in full throttle mode right away, and that’s what you have to be to be successful. The lads will all be fresh. The break was good for that.”

1. FC Köln open the second part of the season with the top game on Saturday evening at home against Werder Bremen (6.30 p.m.).