Search
On FM Scout you can chat about Football Manager in real time since 2011. Here are 10 reasons to join!

Max Kofler: Die Revolution

Started on 7 June 2019 by ScottT
Latest Reply on 23 August 2019 by Jack
Good to see Kampl scoring a key goal so early in to his career at Koln. A poor performance overall in the two legs but you are through and that’s the most important thing!
Scraping through against Rangers could be a cause for concern for you but Kampl making an instant impact is something to take away from the game as well as the obvious achievement of reaching the next round. You will face much stronger opponents over the course of the competition and that is something you will have to plan better for.

Koln maintain aggregate lead to progress


1. FC Köln are through to the UEFA Europa League Fourth Qualifying Round after a 0-0 draw against Ukrainian side FK Oleksandriya in the second-leg ensured their progression.

FC Köln are through to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa League after a 2-0 aggregate victory over Ukrainian outfit FK Oleksandriya. Köln will face Croatian side HNK Rijeka in the final qualification round, with a place in the Europa League group stages at stake for the winner.

Effzeh demonstrated a professional performance in the second-leg to see out their initial 2-0 victory in Ukraine during the opening tie. Kevin Kampl and Tomas Soucek's first-half efforts in the first-leg proved to be the difference between the pair, as Köln booked their place in the final round of qualification.

Max Kofler's side were much-improved over the two legs to their previous performances against Rangers, dominating both games and limited their opponents greatly. The only disappointment for the Bundesliga side will be their failure to add to their first-leg efforts, as a poor penalty from Denis Vavro - a recent arrival from Danish Superliga side FC København - was saved by Oleksandriya 'keeper Kostyantyn Makarenko in the first-half.

Köln's opponents in the next round, HNK Rijeka, began their Europa League qualification hopes in the second round, with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Slovakian side FC Spartak Trnava. They booked their place in the final round of qualification with a comfortable victory over KSC Lokeren of Belgium. A 2-0 victory at the HNK Rijeka Stadium was accompanied by a 2-1 triumph in the return leg.

The Croatian side, nicknamed Riječki bijeli (Rijeka's Whites), finished fourth in the MaxTV Prva hrvatska nogometna liga last season, finishing twenty-three points behind champions GNK Dinamo and nineteen behind runners-up NK Osijek - a significant decline on their runners-up finish to Hadjuk Split the previous season.

Now managed by Zvonimir Soldo, who previously managed Köln between 2009 and 2010, Rijeka will be hoping to upset the apple-cart and appear in the Europa League group stages for the first-time since the 2017/18 season, after failing to make it past the the Third Qualifying Round in the previous two campaigns - losing to Rangers and FC Wacker Innsbruck.

The first-leg is due to be played on Thursday 20th August 2020 at the HNK Rijeka Stadium, with the return-leg taking place a week later at the RheinEnergieStadion. The draw for the UEFA Europa League group stages will begin twenty-four hours later on Friday 28th August.

Replies


Maguire: It was a hard-fought victory, that's for sure. Max would have preferred a more-comfortable tie, but he accepted the challenge of Rangers before the sides met and that didn't change over the course of the two games. Another challenge awaits against Rijeka now. I was surprised by their draw, too. I certainly don't have Qatar down as a footballing nation, at any level.

LFC: Progression is the only thing that matters when all things are said and done, but performance is still an important factor for Max. There was an improvement against Oleksandriya, but there is still many more gears to go through until they reach the level Max wants to see, I think.

Jack: Perhaps so, but Max acknowledged Rangers as a challenge, especially at such an early stage in the competition. There was certainly an element of disappointment in the result, though. Kampl has proven to be a real influence both on and off the pitch so far and Max will be pleased with the impact he has made on the side.

Rijeka are a side in the same calibre as Rangers and Oleksandriya in-terms of not having the profile you may come to expect of a top European side at this stage of the competition in contrast to others, but still possess a challenge and a risk.
I’m guessing that the result might be a bit misleading over how dominant you actually were in this fixture but the fact remains that goals are not being scored as much as the chances should allow them to. Rijeka are a good team with an impressive youth system too, chances really need to be taken in my opinion!
An improvement but still not where you want to be. Chances need to be taken but once again, you are through and that’s the important thing. I am sure come the next round you’ll be firing again.
A win is a win. Take the victories while you can. You can't win by ten goals every game.

Koln progress into UEFA Europa League Group Stages


1. FC Köln have qualified for the UEFA Europa League Group Stages after their 2-1 victory at the RheinEnergieStadion last night over HNK Rijeka.

Köln have booked their place in the UEFA Europa League draw on Friday after defeating Croatian side HNK Rijeka 3-1 on aggregate. Francisco Trincão and Vincent Koziello were on the scoresheet for the hosts, as they progressed over their tricky opponents.

Stipe Perica pulled one-back for the visitors on the night, but his side were unable to add to their solitary goal, despite numerous opportunities from set-pieces in the second-half.

The game was largely dominated by Köln, but similarly to their Second Qualifying Round tie against Rangers, they were unable to dominate possession - conceding 58% of the ball to Rijeka. Fortunately, the home side were at their clinical best on the night and created more opportunities despite registering less time on the ball over the course of the ninety minutes, with seventeen shots to six and seven to two on-target.

In spite of his side still being far from their usual best, Max Kofler was content with his sides performance over the course of the tie.

"When the draw was made, we accepted that we would be coming up against a tricky opposition with a point to prove. They've been absent from the group stages for a couple of years now and have tasted the disappointment of losing in the qualifiers in consecutive seasons - it's a taste every team is keen to get rid of."

"Over the two games, they showcased their quality, but thankfully, we limited them well. Of course, there are a lot of things to improve on and we still haven't reached a level that I'm particularly happy with - I'm always looking to push the players to the limit and I haven't noticed that yet in the competition, but we got the job done to a decent level, especially tonight when Rijeka noticed the chips were gone and went all-out in the final forty minutes or so."

"There are signs that we're getting there. The players gelled well tonight and that was evident in Francisco's goal. The build-up play was excellent and that pleased me just as much as it did the supporters. So I'm not worried, at the end of the day it is still early days and with more competitive football, we will find our feet to the level I expect."

"We're all looking forward to the draw tomorrow. I believe we've been seeded third in the draw, so there's an opportunity we could be facing some of the bigger boys in the competition. We'll accept whatever draw we're given - there's nothing you can do, after all. We know that if we're at our best, there will be very few teams who can match us."

"We've worked hard to get to this stage and it's a relief to finally say we're there and into the group stages."
Kofler concluded.

The draw is due to be made at 13:00 tomorrow, with Köln placed in Pot Three.

Replies


Jack: I would say the result was quite misleading, yes. That wasn't particularly the case against Rangers where chances were just very few and far between. The defences won in all game, up until Kampl's late strike won it for Koln. But it was a lot more comfortable against Oleksandriya, admittedly. A few goals were bagged over the two legs, which is pleasing... Rijeka aren't exactly pushovers, as you said yourself (in other words!) ;)

LFC: Definitely not, but progression is the only thing that matters and that has now been achieved - with a better performance, arguably.

Justice: Wise words. A victory by one goal is still a victory, after all.
You’re through which is the positive but it seems like Kofler is struggling to get Köln on top form and it has seemed to be the case throughout the qualifying phase. The Bundesliga will catch Köln out if performances aren’t upped and consistently so I fear.
Exciting times ahead for Koln now in the group stages. The real battles will begin soon but I'd imagine that some of the early-season nerves are gone now. Now to get into full motion and to pave the way to future success!
That is exactly what was needed. The results may not of been pretty in qualification but nobody will remember them. Hopefully the draw is kind to Koln and we can see potentially further progression in the competition.
Very, very big step for Max`s Koln, HUGE. From an embarrassing relegation before he took over to now being back in Europe again, through league positioning , which is a massive step forward, as it shows the club are now stable and on an upward projectory. Well done!

2020/21 Europa League Groups Confirmed


The draw for the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League Group Stages has been completed. Here are the groups from A to L in full:

Group A:
AS Monaco
BSC Young Boys
Ferencvárosi TC
Rosenborg BK

Group B:
Feyenoord Rotterdam
AFC Bournemouth
Villarreal CF
FK Kairat

Group C:
SL Benfica
Galatasaray SK
SV Werder Bremen
NK Osijek

Group D:
Tottenham Hotspur
NK Maribor
İstanbul Başakşehir F.K.
AEK Athens

Group E:
FC København
ACF Fiorentina
Everton
Hearts Of Midlothian

Group F:
Sporting CP
Real Sociedad
Torino
FC Sion

Group G:
PSV Eindhoven
FC Zorya Luhansk
FC Lausanne-Sport
APOEL Nicosia

Group H:
FC Zenit
Legia Warszawa
SK Slavia Praha
Kayserispor

Group I:
Hamburger SV
Steaua București
AC Sparta Praha
FK Vardar Skopje

Group J:
Club Brugge
A.S. Roma
Olympiakos SFP
Lech Poznań

Group K:
Sevilla
1. FC Köln
FC Krasnodar
Jagiellonia Białystok

Group L:
KAA Gent
FC Nantes
FC Midtjylland
GNK Dinamo

WHEN ARE THE GAMES?


Group Stage:
Matchday 1: 17th September
Matchday 2: 1st October
Matchday 3: 22nd October
Matchday 4: 5th November
Matchday 5: 26th November
Matchday 6: 10th December

Round of 32:
Draw: 14th December
First Legs: 11th February
Second Legs: 18th February

Round of 16:
Draw: 19th February
First Legs: 4th March
Second Legs: 11th March

Quarter Finals:
Draw: 12th March
First Legs: 8th April
Second Legs: 15th April

Semi Finals:
Draw: 16th April
First Legs: 29th April
Second Legs: 6th May

Final:
Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen: 26th May

Replies


Jack: The qualifying phases bring a unique challenge to every club, I think, especially to those who are coming in without playing competitive football. It's difficult to make the adjustment from friendlies to a full-blown competitive fixture like that, hence why we've witnessed an improvement with each round in terms of performance and aggregate result. Having gained this experience, I think Koln should be able to start the season better than they did last year, if anything. But yes, there may be reason to fear should a positive result not be gained in the opening couple of games.

Justice: There is a lot of excitement with the draw now completed. There's an excellent possibility of progressing out of the group, despite some tricky challenges like Sevilla and a trip to Russia - which is a notoriously difficult place to go for sides in European competition. The qualifiers have acted as a great way to prepare for the season, as you say, we have shook off some of the nerves and now are ready to make the transition. Arguably, we may be a step ahead of some teams.

LFC: Definitely. Failure to progress into the group stages would have been a complete disaster for everyone associated with the football club, so it's a relief for Max and co! I don't think a draw of this magnitude can be 'kind' as such, Koln still face a trio of teams with the ability to get a result against them over their two meetings, but I understand your view. There were certainly some horrible sides in Pot Two, with some real experience on the European stage - both in this competition and the Champions League - so Max will be relieved that his task wasn't made even harder, I'm sure.

Maguire: Indeed. There has been a great amount of progression in the last two years and, hopefully, it is only the beginning.
Some interesting sides in there for sure, especially Bournemouth. A respectable group that could of been tougher looking at a few of the other sides, however, Koln will need to be at their best to go through and hopefully will top the group.
Sevilla are record champions and Krasnodar are an experienced side in this competition. Best of luck :)
I can only imagine that Sevilla could stand in your way in this group phase although there are risks of upsets for sure!

You are reading "Max Kofler: Die Revolution".

FMS Chat

Stam
hey, just wanted to let you know that we have a fb style chat for our members. login or sign up to start chatting.