Steffen Baumgart annoyed by referee Frank Willenborg

Steffen Baumgart was not only annoyed about the first home defeat in 2023, the performance of referee Frank Willenborg also caused the coach of 1. FC Köln to shake his head.

“Everything” bothered him about Willenborg, said Baumgart after the 0: 2 (0: 1) against VfL Wolfsburg: “There were a few things that annoyed me.”

Baumgart explained: “It was the demeanor, the behavior and decisions in the transition game that are to be rated as a tactical foul.” The coach added, somewhat reassuringly, that he knew he was a “very emotional coach” and “may not be acting in the best way for one or the other”.

Midfielder Dejan Ljubicic also described Willenborg’s management as “poor”. The referee whistled “against us in all 50:50 decisions,” said the Austrian.

Baumgart emphasized that that alone was not the reason for the defeat. It’s his job to show the team ways to create a goal threat even against low-lying opponents.

That is sorely needed: FC have not scored in four of the last five games, Cologne are currently 12th. In particular, the weak yield of the attackers is a cause for concern. Steffen Tigges scored Cologne’s last striker goal in a furious 7-1 win against Werder Bremen, which was, however, five weeks ago.