Mark Zimmermann. (Photo: Bucco)
Mark Zimmermann has not yet found a new coaching job. After leaving 1. FC Köln, the former U21 coach talks about three successful years and the last difficult season.
The interview was conducted by Daniel Mertens
GEISSBLOG: Mr. Zimmermann, was the past season the most strenuous year of your time in Cologne?
Mark Zimmermann: “It got off to a bumpier start than in previous years. I have always emphasized the importance of a good start. Unlike in previous years, we didn’t manage to do that last season. We caught up until the end of September, but then it went downhill rapidly. It took the entire winter to stop the crash. It was hard work with a lot of stress and headwind. But we made it, and that’s all that counts.”
What have you taken away from the past twelve months?
The experience we have gained can help in the future, both for the players and for me as a coach. That’s why I don’t want to miss the time at all. It’s about learning and gaining experience and taking it with you for the future.
How surprised were you by the crash in your last season in Cologne after three good years in the past?
Last summer, many players left the U21s because they changed clubs, were loaned out or, like Mathias Olesen and Florian Dietz, became professionals. But these guys shaped the U21s for years, so the bloodletting was big.
That was definitely the most emotional game
Mark Zimmermann
When was it clear that you would leave the club in the summer?
The decisive talks took place in January. At the time, there was no telling where we would end up. We only had an intermediate result that wasn’t good. But that wasn’t the reason why I would have said that I wanted to open up to something else. I went into my fourth year last summer and said at the time that we would discuss everything else as the season progressed. In winter, the club and I decided together that there would be a reorientation.
Were there things you didn’t expect when you came to FC?
I had to adapt to certain circumstances that only a job as a coach in the second team of a Bundesliga club brings with it. We rarely had the whole team on the pitch during the training weeks.
Because some talents have trained with the pros.
Exactly. As a result, we as a coaching team had to be very flexible week after week. Young professionals who were supposed to play in the U21s at the weekend often only came on Friday. I didn’t know that before. Dealing with that is part of being a U21 coach. These were very valuable experiences for me.
What were the highlights for you during your time in Cologne?
There were highlights in every season. In the first season we won in my first game in the south stadium at Fortuna Cologne. In the second year we had a long season with 40 games and we beat promotion contenders Rot-Weiss Essen at home. It was also a highlight to play in front of thousands of spectators in Essen or Münster. Then Marius Laux’s last game in Lippstadt, when he scored the goal shortly before the end and then resigned. I will also never forget our last home game against Fortuna Cologne with Nottbeck’s last game and Thommy Kraus with his goal. That was definitely the most emotional game.
The paralysis due to the negative spiral was probably the greatest at that time
Mark Zimmermann
And what moment do you hate to look back on?
The Wattenscheid game was of course drastic (Zimmermann brought on a fourth U23 player in March 2023, which is why the U21 lost the game at the green table, i. editor). That was a blatant mistake that shouldn’t have happened. In terms of sport, Kaan-Marienborn was the low point in December (0:1). The paralysis due to the negative spiral was probably the greatest at that time. For me, negative points are not necessarily results, they are part of it. It’s more negative when you see that players get badly injured on the pitch, like Luca Schlax or Florian Dietz.
Do you think that the Regionalliga West is the right league for the demands of 1. FC Köln or should the leap into the third division be aimed for?
The third division means an enormous economic effort. Of course, the third division is better to give players from the Bundesliga squad match practice at the highest possible level. That is also an important pillar of the U21 work. The regional league is still a good league to introduce young talents to professional and men’s football.
After four years in Cologne, are you drawn back to your home region in Thuringia and the surrounding area?
No, I’m not tied to a location or region. I just see what to expect.
2023-07-01 16:07:08
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