Football Season Guide

Koln may be one of the most famous names in German football but nowadays they are perennial strugglers against relegation. They did manage to pull away from the worst of the scrap at the bottom of the table last season but whether or not they can push into the top half now is a huge question mark. With off the field actions not really going well this is a club with divisions under the surface and if they make a bad start to this campaign it could well turn out to be fatal. Riether is a wonderful signing from Wolfsburg who will bolster the defence or midfield as needed but other than that the team have been very modest in the transfer market. Roshi and Ishiaku, signed from Albanian and Belgian clubs respectively, are distinct gambles and though no one has really left from the first team of last season, it is doubtful if this squad is really good enough. Rensing at least is a capable `keeper but the defence in front of him is injury prone and things could easily go wrong in this area. The midfield is generally solid rather than creative while if Novakovic and Podolski don´t score goals regularly, this too could be a problem. Koln are a big club but an underachieving team and this could well be another difficult season for them.