There are more comfortable places to revive your season than Cologne. But very few where I would enjoy it more. After the defeat against Marseille, this derby win was exactly what I needed. Three points at the neighbours, a García free kick and a Schick finish — a perfectly decent way to spend a Sunday. Still, I’m hardly going to pretend Bayer left all their problems at the city limits. This 2–1 gave me far too many reasons to hold my breath.
The opening stages neatly captured both sides of this team. Up front, we had chances to establish a proper lead; at the back, we created problems for ourselves. García’s free kick after seven minutes was a beauty, but taking the lead doesn’t magically organise your defence. Flekken had to deny Sebulonsen, and Fernández then blocked Maina’s follow-up. Those moments tend to disappear beneath the celebrations after a derby win. They stick with me because we still seem incapable of making a promising position feel comfortable. Quansah struggled badly with Cologne’s pace, while Tapsoba initially looked anything but reassuring.
I’m pleased for García. After his recent performances, that goal must have meant plenty to him. I could have done without the “blah blah” celebration, though. The criticism hadn’t materialised out of thin air. A superb free kick was a fine response on the day; a run of good performances would make a stronger case. Fernández offered a useful example: alert, tireless and willing to get involved wherever things became awkward. That was exactly what we needed in a derby where tidy passing alone was never going to be enough.
In attack, too much still depends on individual inspiration for my liking. Maza kept looking for solutions despite the close attention and gave us some much-needed movement. Tillman, meanwhile, left me scratching my head again. Of course Schwäbe deserves credit for an excellent early save. That doesn’t excuse the careless passing that followed. Given an opportunity at number ten, Tillman needed to bring more consistency to our play. Moreira worked hard but produced little on the right. I can appreciate the effort while still wondering whether we were getting the best out of him on that side.
Thankfully, we have Schick. He also needed several attempts to beat an impressive Schwäbe, but he kept going and made it 2–0 in the 86th minute. That is one of the things I value most about him: missed chances rarely seem to stop him believing he will score the next one. Naturally, even a second goal that late failed to buy us a completely peaceful finish. Cologne pulled one back in stoppage time, and I could happily have lived without another spell of staring at the clock.
I’ll take enormous pleasure in this win. Bayer responded to Marseille and came through a heated away derby. That matters, especially in Cologne. The sloppy build-up and uneven attacking performances still need fixing. Tonight, though, they can annoy me a little less. Derby winners. That will do for a Sunday.
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