Kwasniok breaks with tradition: No permanent starting eleven at 1. FC Köln!

Kwasniok breaks with tradition: No permanent starting eleven at 1. FC Köln!

1. FC Köln is under the new leadership of Lukas Kwasniok, who has taken over the position of head coach for the 2025/26 season. Kwasniok, the previous coach of SC Paderborn, has signed a contract until June 30, 2028 and is now expected to establish the billy goats in the Bundesliga. How fc.de reports, the 43-year-old is characterized by his ability to develop teams and support young players.

Kwasniok, born in Gliwice, has had a remarkable coaching career. After stints at FC Carl Zeiss Jena and 1. FC Saarbrücken, where he led the team to the DFB Cup semi-finals, he has attracted attention at SC Paderborn over the last four years. There he established the team as one of the best teams in the 2nd Bundesliga. Before he took over the reins in Cologne, he took a planned break.

Flexible line-up at the start of the competitive game

Kwasniok wants to start with a breath of fresh air, because he is not planning a permanent starting eleven for the competitive game opener on August 17th against Regensburg. He recently announced this ahead of a friendly against Atalanta Bergamo. How geissblog.koeln reported, the starting eleven will vary depending on the performance level of the players. Kwasniok relies on the entire squad and wants to react flexibly to different game situations.

Six new signings were used in a friendly against Atalanta Bergamo (4-0 win). It turned out that Marvin Schwäbe is seen as the clear number one in goal. Timo Hübers remains the defensive veteran, while Eric Martel and Isak Johannesson act as central midfielders. Jakub Kaminski and Jan Thielmann will occupy the offensive wing positions. On the right wing, Sebastian Sebulonsen has the edge over Jusuf Gazibegovic, and Joel Schmied also has a good chance of starting against Regensburg.

The philosophy of the new coach

Kwasniok brings a refreshing philosophy to the team. He emphasizes that attitude in training and in games is crucial for him. “The players’ past is not important,” he says, and attaches the utmost importance to intensity and cohesion in the team. The old football adage “Never change a winning team” has no meaning for him. Instead, he will continually refine the optimal formation in order to get the best possible performance from his players.

The Bundesliga professionals expect Kwasniok to have an exciting season and the opportunity to work together to achieve the goal of permanently establishing 1. FC Köln in the top half of the table. In addition to Lukas Kwasniok, several new coaches are starting work in the Bundesliga, including Erik Ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen and Sandro Wagner in Augsburg, which makes the new season even more exciting bundesliga.com.