Nagelsmann ahead of Köln: "Ready to graft"

Julian Nagelsmann on...

... the opposition:

Köln are very strong away from home and have great stability at the back. It’s not easy to create chances for yourself against these teams. But that’s the task. We need chances, we need to take them, and we need goals. I won’t be telling the team anything in particular about Anthony Modeste, we know well enough to focus on our own abilities.

... the personnel:

We will still be without Pirmin Schwegler. He is still suffering with knee problems and is in build-up training. There is currently no planned scheduled return into team training for him. We’re giving him all the time he needs to get fit again. It’s not such a serious injury, though - it won’t take forever. Tarik Elyounoussi trained with the team again this week - whether he’ll be fit to play on Sunday we’ll have to wait and see. The internationals will be back on the pitch on Friday afternoon, so I’ll get a look at them then. They’ve thankfully all come back from their national teams injury-free.

... the current situation (1):

Sometimes when you’ve had a week off the urgency wears off and the quality in training suffers as a result, but I saw absolutely none of that this week. The lads were fully focused in training and the intensity throughout the week was at the right level. I was more than satisfied with everything.

... the current situation (2):

The first game after the break is never easy. We have to be ready to graft in order to find our rhythm again. The team is in a good state of mind because we played well in our recent games and took the points. It’s clear to see, and we have to make that count on Sunday. One thing I hold in very high regard is everyone enjoying their work - that's a big positive, because it makes the work more productive. 

... the current situation (3): 

I’ve already proposed to the DFL (German Football League) that they implement the ‘Nagelsmann table’ with immediate effect, but that got rejected (laughs). 16th was our aim, but no longer: we need to keep collecting points. We can only overtake the other teams if we win games, and that’s what we’re focused on doing. I’m confident we can do just that on Sunday. 

Previous encounters: 

The record between TSG and Köln is almost even. In the Bundesliga, the teams have met eleven times - Köln winning four times, four games ending in a draw and Hoffenheim winning three. A win on Sunday for TSG will balance out the head-to-head record. The total score over the eleven encounters is however 17:15 to Hoffenheim. 

The opposition’s form:

The form table since the winter break has Köln sitting at 16th with only nine points having beaten only Hannover and Frankfurt. This poor run of form has not yet taken its toll on their actual position in the table: Köln finished the first half of the season at ninth and find themselves no higher and no lower now with matchday 28 imminent. The gap between them and the relegation playoff spot has however decreased from nine to just six points. Their position is still good, but there is no time to relax for Peter Stöger and his players. 

Key battle: 

Köln are strong in the air - TSG will have to deal with that. Of the 371 attempted crosses by Köln so far this season, 30.5% have found the intended man, second best in the league behind Wolfsburg (30.6%). From these crosses, a total of nine goals have been headed into the goal - again second best in the league, this time behind Darmstadt. Even on the attack, Hoffenheim should try and keep the ball on the ground, because Köln win over half of their areal duels at the back.

 

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