1. FC Cologne: Cerci before returning to Cologne team training
The season so far has been sluggish for 1. FC Köln. There is room for improvement both defensively and offensively – but reinforcements are now approaching in attack: national player Selina Cerci is making a return.
Nicole Bender will stay completely out of the winter transfer market. According to the sporting director of FC-Frauen, there should be no movement on either the incoming or the outgoing side. In the second half of the season, the squad put together this summer is accordingly.
Although an at least halfway new face WILL be added: Selina Cerci, signed by Turbine Potsdam before the season, is about to take part in team training for the first time.
At least that is the plan of the Cologne women. “In January she will do a stress test,” says Bender in an interview with kicker. “We assume that she will then receive approval from our doctors and be able to start full team training. The rehab has gone great so far, she feels fit. However, we won’t throw her in at the deep end, but will build her up carefully.” A method that has certainly been used. In March, Cerci finally tore his cruciate ligament and has been working hard for the long-awaited comeback ever since.
light and shadow
On the one hand and above all, the national striker has suffered from this forced break in recent months. She looks at herself in the club after her return. Not only defensively, but also offensively in the last ten league games it was sometimes stuck (10:17 goals, 10 points).
“The start of the season was fantastic,” sums up Bender, describing the win against TSG Hoffenheim as the “first surprise”. After that, however, not many successes were added. FC won against Potsdam and Bremen and drew against Freiburg.
Bender says: “We are quite satisfied. The start was ideal. It was good that we were able to go into the winter break with a point against Freiburg – it was less good that we lost to Bayer Leverkusen and the newly promoted teams Meppen and Duisburg. With nine points more we would be outstanding.
Before the start of the season we assumed that the second half of the season would be better than the first half.
It’s nice, says Bender, “that other clubs and experts rated us higher. The average age was lowered – top performers left, more and more talented young people came along.
Cologne’s top hunter: Mandy Islacker.
IMAGO/Vitalii Kliuiev
“It was therefore clear that it would take a little while for us to find each other,” says Bender, who confirms: “Before the start of the season, we assumed that the second half of the season would be better than the first half of the season.” FC is therefore relying on the force of the second wave – and feeds his hope from the ongoing adjustment process of the entire squad and the upcoming return of striker Cerci.
lack of efficiency
So far, the Cologne team have sent a little more than three shots per game on average and are therefore in the bottom third of the table as well as in terms of efficiency. The 34-year-old ex-national striker Mandy Islacker is already at the top of the internal hit list with her four league goals, whereby she scored two goals from the penalty spot. While the defense failed too often, there was simply not enough danger from the game up front – six of the ten goals came from set pieces.
“The coaching team has all of this on the slip,” explains Bender. Regarding the sluggish goal production, she says: “Mandy Islacker had to shoulder a lot and go a long way offensively. It will be good for her if Selina Cerci comes along.” Where should the attacker, who scored 13 goals for Potsdam in the 2021/2022 season, appear?
“I don’t want to anticipate our coach, but one thing is clear: she is an incredibly good boxing player, has a great degree, and we are well advised to bring her into final situations as often as possible.” Words that speak clearly for a central positioning of Cerci.
International places as a long-term goal
The 22-year-old has played on the right side for Germany’s senior national team so far, but she feels most comfortable in the middle of the attack – and will probably also play this role at 1. FC Köln. Cerci and Co. should make the league perfect at an early stage before higher goals are aimed for in the next few years.
“In the long term,” explains Bender, “we want to play for the international places. If that should be the case in three to five years, that would be great.” The sporting director likes the current mix of young and experienced players. She emphasizes: “There won’t be such a big upheaval as this summer.” In the future, reinforcements are to follow – but not this winter.