FC defender best Cologne: Rafael Czichos answers critics
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Rafael Czichos has already been heavily criticized this season and is now answering on the pitch. Against Arminia Bielefeld was the best man of 1. FC Cologne.
The criticism was loud, his reaction was strong: FC defender Rafael Czichos (31) has been one of the strongest Cologne professionals in recent weeks. The vice-captain whistles!
From the FC point of view, it was the scene of the day at 1-1 in Bielefeld (on Saturday, December 4, 2021): After an initially cleared throw-in, the ball landed on Czichos, the defender played a fatal pass to Salih Özcan from the turn (23) – a dream template for the Cologne tour.
And a secret application for the playmaker position? About it can Rafa, who in the absence of Jonas Hector (31) wears the bandage, only smiles tiredly: “Salih screamed very loudly. So I passed the ball in more or less blindly. I’m glad I’m on the pitch at all. “
Steffen Baumgart: Czichos “is seen here more critically than others”
Behind the defense veteran lies – at least in the public perception – a difficult first third of the season. An own goal in Freiburg and the early substitution against Leipzig do not read well in Czichos’ statistics, convincing appearances such as against Bochum or in Frankfurt went under. Over the collective failure in Hoffenheim and his bad pass against Union Berlin (to 1: 2) the mood against him has rocked – especially in the social networks.
But also in Müngersdorf: “When I hear the murmur of him in the stadium at one or the other ball, I have to say: We all have to stay on the carpet,” said Steffen Baumgart (49) last in an EXPRESS.de interview : “You shoot yourself at one bad pass and forget the other 150 passes that arrive.”
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Rafael Czichos placed under every FC coach
For the FC coach, one thing is certain: “He is seen more critically here than others, but I see him up front.” Baumgart is not alone in this. Whether under Markus Anfang (47), Achim Beierlorzer (54) or Markus Gisdol (52) – Czichos has always prevailed and thus collected the most minutes of all Cologne field players, since 2018 he has moved from Holstein Kiel to Geißbockheim. “In the end I played under every coach,” he said before the start of the season in an EXPRESS.de interview and joked: “So: I can’t be that blind.”
At the moment, the performances speak for themselves: After his Union-Bock, Czichos was able to convince immediately after the international break in Mainz (1: 1); against Borussia Mönchengladbach (4: 1) and Nun in Bielefeld followed faultless appearances. In the ranking of Cologne central defenders, the 31-year-old has moved up to first place.
It remains to be seen how things will continue for him after the end of the season. In winter, those responsible for FC want to hold initial talks with those professionals whose contracts are running out. “So far there has been no trend in one direction,” says Czichos, who can also imagine a foreign station. On the lawn, however, the trend is clearly upwards for him.