FC Köln secured their highest finish in the last 20 years, climbing to fifth in the table on the final day of the season to qualify for a European competition for the first time since the early 1990s. With a few of the more established sides in the league finding the going tough this season, Köln were able to profit and surprise a few with their eventual league position. But their fifth place was also the result of a lot of hard work over many seasons by coach Peter Stöger who has improved the club’s league position every season since he took over in the 2013/2014. Stöger changed his squad very little from last year and that perhaps helped to give the side the consistency which pushed so high up in the table. Against the top four however, Köln’s results were less impressive as they were unable to win any of their matches against those sides.
Köln’s success this season hinged on a core squad of players able to deliver performances every week. Defenders Jonas Hector, Dominique Heintz and Frederik Sorensen all missed fewer than three matches and part of the back bone of the squad. Köln also deserve plenty of credit for being able to deal with important players being out injured for extended periods of time. Starting goalkeeper Timo Horn, midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt and second striker Yuya Osako were all out for 2 months each at different stages of the season. But one of the biggest factors for Köln’s best finish in recent memory were the goalscoring feats of striker Anthony Modeste. The Frenchman scored a total of 25 goals, the third highest in the league, and he was a constant threat. Whether he remains at the club next season has not yet been cleared up but, without him, Köln will be a much weaker side. In any case Stöger and his staff will have to add some more depth and quality to the squad with the challenge of the Europa League looming.
