Funkel: "I'm convinced we'll take final step"

bundesliga.com: What are your thoughts ahead of the decisive clash at home to Kaiserslautern on Matchday 34?

Friedhelm Funkel: "A point will be enough for promotion, but we want to control this game from the beginning, and we want to show the fans that we can win. I am convinced that the team will bring this attitude onto the pitch and we will win. It will be important that we show the same freedom and tactical awareness as we did last weekend in Nuremberg.

"We cannot be too greedy as then you can become disorganised because you want too much too quickly, and we cannot allow this to happen. We need to have a fiery passion but a cool head on the pitch, and the fans will carry us through for however long the game lasts.”

bundesliga.com: Is there even the slightest doubt in your mind that Cologne will be back in the Bundesliga on Sunday?

Funkel: "No, not at all."

bundesliga.com: You took charge of Kaiserslautern for the final three months of last season and saved them from relegation, is that on your mind ahead of the match?

Funkel: "The only thing that counts for me now is Cologne. That is taking nothing away from my nice time in Kaiserslautern, where I also played over 40 years ago, because it’s a very good club. Cologne is my number one priority now though, and we want to get promoted, so I don’t care at all about who we are playing on Sunday. Whether it’s against Kaiserslautern or any other team, we will need to win and that will be our approach."

bundesliga.com: You seem extremely calm, will you remain that way throughout such a huge match?

Funkel: "I'm not so sure about that. I certainly get a little nervous and a bit more emotional when the referee blows for kick-off. I'll want to do everything I can to help the side, whether I’m allowed to or not. I can't be suspended anymore, and I can only pick up one yellow card. I will try to influence the game as much as possible by pushing the players and giving one or two instructions. It will be very emotional, not because of the opposition but because of the situation.”

bundesliga.com: You sounded very optimistic when taking charge that you could guide Cologne to promotion. What gave you such a strong belief?

Funkel: “I believe in the team, and I still know a few of the players from the 2021 season. I know some of the others from encounters over the last few years, so it was almost like a homecoming for me. I know most of the coaching staff, as well as a lot of the medical staff, the doctors, the kitmen and those in the office. This meant that I didn’t really have any trouble adjusting, which I otherwise might have had, since I will only be here for ten days. It was a big advantage that I knew how everything works here. If I didn’t have such hope we would gain promotion, I wouldn’t have come on board for these two games."

bundesliga.com: Taking charge of a side for two matches must have seemed unusual, despite your experience in coaching?

Funkel: "It is an extremely short stint, without doubt. However, I still knew a lot from the last time I was here, and that made things much easier to try to hit the ground running. The teams works really well and they are also in great physical shape, which is thanks to the previous coach and the other coaching staff who have done a tremendous job. We went into the final games with a very fit team, which is another reason why I am convinced that we will take the final step on Sunday.”

bundesliga.com: How did you approach taking charge for the first time in such a huge match away at Nuremberg last weekend?

Funkel: "The first steps were to have a few longer conversations with one or two players and to listen to what is going on in the team. I worked with Jan Thielmann and Florian Kainz in 2021, so I spoke to them first. I am a proponent of 4-2-3-1, and that is how I set up the team. It’s generally the way I like to play because I want two players out on both wings. This is what we did, and the team was able to implement it well after just the two training sessions where we talked about one or two patterns of play. The team did very well, and I just tried to tell them what I have been saying all year, which is that I am convinced of their ability." 

bundesliga.com: It took a late goal to get the win in Nuremberg - how did you assess the performance there?

Funkel: "They had a very good first half and we could have, and maybe even should have, been leading 2-0 or 3-0. Conceding straight after the restart didn’t panic them at all, and we had previously discussed the fact that we needed to stay calm if we did find ourselves behind in the game. The team continued to play football, and they were duly rewarded with the equaliser a few minutes later.

"After that, we tried to disrupt the opposition high up the pitch, which we knew we couldn’t sustain for 90 minutes but always tried to do as the situation allowed. We achieved this again in the 90th minute when Tim Lemperle put the goalkeeper under pressure so that he lost the ball and Tim had the composure to lay it off to Kainz, who was ruthless in putting it away. We certainly deserved the win.”

bundesliga.com: You have gained promotion with Cologne before, back in 2002/03. What are your standout memories of that success?

Funkel: “It was a very unusual situation because I think we remained unbeaten in the first 24 or 25 games, and the first game we lost was at the end of February. I had such with Markus Pröll, Alexander Bade, Dirk Lottner as captain, Matthias Scherz, Christian Springer, Markus Kurth, Andrew Sinkala, Cartsen Cullmann and Alexander Voigt.

"We had such a sense of togetherness that is always there in Cologne to get immediately promoted again after you get relegated. We managed to do it in style, and that is why that spell will always stick in my mind.”

bundesliga.com: You already hold the record for most promotions to the Bundesliga (six) and are on the brink of a seventh. How proud are you of that?

Funkel: “It would have a certain significance, but I don’t want to hold it up on a pedestal because I would have only been here for two games. They were two important games, but the coaching staff and Gerhard Struber have also put in a lot of hard work, otherwise we wouldn’t currently be sitting in second place."

bundesliga.com: Your contract expires in May, but what are the chances that we see you back in the Bundesliga next season - either at Cologne or elsewhere?

Funkel: “It’s not a question I can answer right now. I went into this with the understanding that I would take the role for these final two games and that we would hold onto the promotion spot. After that, we will have to wait and see. If I stay fit and healthy, I think I will return to the sidelines, wherever and whenever that might be. I am not ruling anything out, but we will address that in peace and quiet after the season ends."