Football Season Guide

Köln’s steady rise up the table over the last few years continued last season with Peter Stöger’s side finishing an excellent 5th which has qualified them for the group stage of the Europa League. Köln benefited from a few other sides having below par seasons, partly due to European commitments. Now it is Stöger’s chance to show that he and his squad are ready for the rigours of a campaign on three fronts this term. One of the major factors that led to Köln’s fine league position was the goals of French striker Anthony Modeste who ended the season with a tally of 25. However, his extended transfer drama came to an end when he finally made an expected move to the Chinese super league. Stöger has not been able to find a direct replacement meaning the responsibility for scoring will fall on Modeste's supporting cast from last season. With the exception of Yuya Osako, however, the other strikers in the squad have plenty to prove, especially new boy Jhon Cordoba and Sehrou Guirassy who spent the majority of last season out injured. Few other players have either joined or left so the first team squad from last season will be largely the side Stöger will use to battle it out again. Jorge Mere and Joao Queiros both arrive from the Iberian peninsula but, as younger players with no Bundesliga experience, they will be given time to settle in before having a major first team role. A few players will hope to avoid injury this season which nearly cost the club last term especially winger Leonardo Bittencourt who showed glimpses of his talent and Marcel Risse who made a fine start to the 2016/2017 campaign before a severe injury ended his season. Köln will get a low seed in their Europa League group, making life tougher for them in that respect and the extra midweek matches will put a fatigue tax on the squad overall. Stöger will therefore aim to have a solid league season allowing the club to see how far they can get in a rare European campaign.