Köln interim head coach René Wagner expresses belief in his squad amid relegation pressure: “Other teams would have fallen apart against Frankfurt.”
Köln interim head coach René Wagner expresses belief in his squad amid relegation pressure: “Other teams would have fallen apart against Frankfurt. ” Köln interim trainer René Wagner exuded plenty of calm ahead of his second Bundesliga fixture. The man tasked with helping Germany’s cathedral city club avoid relegation has every reason to trust his team after they impressively rallied from a two-goal deficit against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
Wagner’s team scored twice in the last 20 minutes to nick a 2-2 draw off Albert Riera’s Eintracht. Wagner sat beside Albert Riera at the Easter Sunday post-match press conference, delivering a demeanor that stood in stark contrast to his frenetic and animated opposite member. Wagner – who actually has plenty of international experience as a player in addition to loads of time working underneath Steffen Baumgart – seems to possess the poise of a veteran head coach.
The 38-year-old doesn’t sound like a rookie. How Wagner’s Domstädter will fare against fellow relegation candidates Werder Bremen (plagued by injuries and unrest in their ranks ) shall prove interesting. Unlike his sacked predecessor Lukas Kwasniok, Wagner doesn’t reach for colorful metaphors or call out reporters.
Köln may fancy their chances of bagging a massive three points at home at the RheinEnergieStadion with the stoic Wagner at the helm. The Dresden native has already earned plenty of plaudits for his proverbial “Midas Touch”. His three substitutes – Marius Bülter, Alessio-Castro Montes, and Luca Waldschmit – all played a role in the crucial equalizer in the Frankfurt match.
René Wagner on why he trusts his Köln troops “ I believe I’ve done a good job over the last few weeks instilling in the team that we don’t have to internalize the outside pressure, ” Wagner responded when asked how big the pressure on his team to pull out a victory was. “ We address that with the team on a daily basis. We seek to not let it seep into the team, but rather to emanate calm.