"If Lukas Kwasniok had known at the start of the season that his side would be sitting in the top eight in the Bundesliga after eight matchdays, he would surely have considered it a great success. The Köln head coach had stressed back then that, as a newly-promoted team, the club should approach the mission of avoiding the drop "humbly" - knowing full well that things could get quite a bit more stormy in Germany's top flight than in the previous Bundesliga 2 season."
"Kwasniok, the new captain of the good ship Köln, charts the course. Instead of simply drifting along, the team have resolutely hoisted the sails. Marvin Schwäbe and Co. laid down an early marker with the 4-1 win against SC Freiburg on Matchday 2. The win at TSG Hoffenheim (1-0) also showed that the newly-promoted side are certainly competitive. Only in defeats to top teams such as RB Leipzig (3-1), VfB Stuttgart (2-1) and Borussia Dortmund (1-0) have the Billy Goats recently struggled."
Lukas Kwasniok adopted a modest, determined approach after Köln's promotion, aiming primarily to avoid relegation. The team accumulated 11 points from the first eight Bundesliga matches, including a 4-1 win over SC Freiburg and a 1-0 victory at Hoffenheim, demonstrating competitiveness. Losses have come only against top sides such as RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, indicating room for improvement. The club experienced a turbulent prior period with a late-season coaching change and many transfers, prompting the appointment of a steady coach and collaboration with sporting director Thomas Kessler to stabilise the squad.
Read at FC Bayern
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