Unbelievable: Cup exit at home against Karlsruhe

We had all imagined this to be absolutely different, because in the run-up there was hardly any reason to doubt that the Bayer would enter the third cup round with a home win against Karlsruhe. But then somehow it all turned out differently. I'm still not sure 12 hours later whether the defence or the attack lost the game.

It's indisputable that Karlsruhe's second goal was due to a goalkeeper's mistake, Lukas also clearly took that on himself in the interview. Let's take a look at the chances missed up front: Adli (10th, 12th). Amiri (19th), Adli (34th), Paulinho (60th). Iker Bravo (78th), Andrich (90.+1), Iker Bravo (90.+5). Normally, that should have been enough to at least get into extra time. A lack of coolness and being too playful in front of the opponent's goal are the key words and exactly the things that have to change quickly by Saturday.

Lost 2:2 in Cologne

Yesterday's derby against Cologne was clearly more than just a 2-2 draw. 1. FC Köln did not get off to a good start. Things looked quite different for the Werkself, who mercilessly exploited their immense counter-attacking strength from a stable cover and already led comfortably 2:0 after 17 minutes.

However, the Bayer then forgot to finally close the bag with a third goal and were punished with two goals conceded in the second half. In addition, it looks like Bellarabi and Schick will be out for the next few games due to injury. All in all, despite winning the point, it was a rather used afternoon.

Wednesday is the cup match against Karlsruhe at home. Rotation will probably be on the agenda, but please don't lose your place in the third round. On Saturday, we'll play at home against Wolfsburg, who, to make matters worse, sacked their coach yesterday and are desperate for a win after four defeats in the league. So we have to stand up to them.

Build on Seville

The Werkself showed a good reaction to the home defeat against Bayern in the Europa League match at Betis Real Seville last night. The Werkself pressed for tempo from the start and could have led quickly. But the 1:0 was not to be. After the break, Real Betis were the better team. However, the home side did not create any clear chances. In the 75th minute, however, the home side took the lead after a penalty kick. Bayer's response was good, because it was quickly 1-1 after a deflected Andrich shot. It was good that the Werkself wanted more - and the chances were there, but it remained 1-1.

Simon Rolfes said beforehand that we would fly to Seville as league leaders and also return home as league leaders. That's how it was and we have every chance of coming through first in our hands.

Now we have to concentrate on Sunday, when one of the most important games of the year takes place in Cologne. They're already making a fuss in public, but we have to show the reaction on the pitch. I'm not worried.

Bayern game off the agenda

There's nothing to read into it. Bayern showed great enthusiasm and efficiency yesterday at the BayArena. Now, of course, we can be frustrated for a long time about the clear defeat or, in view of the many English weeks, we can quickly forget the game and look ahead.

I think the only way forward is to forget about it, because on Thursday we play Real Betis Sevilla in the Europa League and on Sunday we play Cologne. The Werkself must be highly concentrated again. They can do that, because they showed it clearly several times before the international break.

The winning streak does not break in Bielefeld either

4:0 away win - that is the standard result this week. After the Werkself's furious performance at Celtic on Thursday, Bayer also won its away match in Bielefeld with the same result.

This was our team's fifth win in a row in the competition and has caught up with Bayern in the table. Patrik Schick stood out from a good team. First he set up Diaby for the 1:0, then he scored himself with a well-considered low shot for the 2:0 and last but not least he marked the 3:0 with a header in the second half.

But it is and remains the case that it is the team that has won and that is what has probably been missing in recent years, because only with such united team performances can such results be achieved. In the last few years, things have not always looked good in Bielefeld, they were often so-called "grotto games" with sometimes unfortunate outcomes for the Werkself. But yesterday was different, thank God, and that's a good thing.

Now let's just hope that none of the 14 players called up for the national team gets injured, because that's always been the source of the injury misery lately. And then Bayern can come, let's see what happens.

The star is the team - 4-0 win at Celtic

The star is the team and that includes the entire coaching team. While it was clear after Celtic went behind that the Scots did not have a plan B, the Werkself continued to play their game at Hampden Park in Glasgow and left the pitch as clear winners with 4:0.

The atmosphere before kick-off was already spectacular, as the 55,000 spectators at Celtic Park not only sang the anthem "You'll never walk alone", but also showed an impressive choreography. A great start to a great evening from the Werkself point of view. I would have loved to have been there, as I still have the great atmosphere from the game against Rangers in my head, the last game with fans before the pandemic.

You can't grumble after a 4-0 win - at least not until you've had enough words of praise. Piero Hincapie put in a stellar performance on his starting debut, and not just because the centre-back scored the opening goal. Hincapie and Jonathan Tah formed a bulwark against ferociously attacking Scots. Tah's tackle alone in the 2nd minute was world class and prevented the Scots from scoring the opening goal.

But also the attack showed the offensive potential of the Werkself impressively. Four goals in Scotland is not something everyone does. And last but not least: Lukas Hradecky also showed extraordinary, developing into a nightmare for Celtic's attackers.

So Bayer's performance in Glasgow was by no means flawless. At least at the beginning of the second half, the Scots came very close to scoring the equaliser. So the emphatic victory was also an unmistakable reminder to stay focused for 90 minutes to avoid a rude awakening at the Bielefeld Alm next Sunday.