Steffen Baumgart’s lack of knowledge of English affects 1. FC Köln

Steffen Baumgart commented on squad planning at 1. FC Köln. The coach revealed why Effzeh almost exclusively looks for players who speak German.

“The reason is the coach,” Baumgart said in an interview with the goat blog: “He only speaks German. My English isn’t good. And I live from what I say and how I say it. That’s why it’s very important to me.”

If there is no other way, the 51-year-old’s assistant coaches have to take action: “René Wagner and Kevin McKenna speak English, so in the end I get it across to everyone, but it should mainly be German.”

In addition to the language, the main thing for him is that potential newcomers really want to move to Cologne.

“You have to want the way we play football every day,” said Baumgart: “If you train like this every day, it hurts. The players also have to have skills that suit our game. You need reasonable speed, toughness and the ability to run.”

Baumgart has been responsible for Effzeh since July 2021. After a strong first season with seventh place, things are going a bit bumpy in the current season. From the last five games, the Cologne team got just one point and are six points ahead of the relegation place in 13th place.

The derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach is on the program on Sunday (3.30 p.m. in LIVETICKER).

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