Lukas Podolski, Digi Mart USA News: Former Germany international Lukas Podolski has criticized 1. FC Köln ahead of the derby against Bayer Leverkusen, saying his former club lacks “a clear playing idea.” Speaking to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, the 2014 World Cup winner said he does not watch every match but asked what the team stands for in the games he sees.
Podolski said the squad “should be able to do more than it shows on the pitch.” He pointed to Borussia Dortmund under Niko Kovac and SC Freiburg under Julian Schuster as examples of teams with a clear identity. “With those teams you know what they stand for.
At FC it often looks like muddling through, as long as the result is right,” he said.
Asked about the work of recently criticized FC coach René Wagner, Podolski avoided a direct answer, saying only that “no coaching job is easy.” He also said it was “bitter” that Köln has for years trailed rival Leverkusen on the pitch.
Podolski argued that Leverkusen benefits from the backing of a major corporation, Bayer, which he said “forgives a lot and fills holes,” making things easier than at FC. He nonetheless credited Leverkusen with doing good work with its resources, adding that money there is “rarely” wasted.
He called it “a shame that a ‘village’ like Leverkusen shows FC what is possible.” The derby is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on DAZN and in ntv.de’s live ticker.
