Jacob Christensen hasn’t played a role at 1. FC Köln so far, but now he was in the starting line-up for the first time against the record champions. A promotion with risks, but one that the Dane managed well despite a few problems.
Committed, but not flawless: Jacob Christensen (right) had a lot to do in his first starting eleven in the Bundesliga – like here in the duel with Jamal Musiala. picture alliance / Eibner press photo
Anyone who has to make their debut in the Bundesliga under difficult conditions often goes under. There are many examples of this. A legendary one is that of the Brazilian Marcos Antonio, who once played a game for 1. FC Nürnberg against VfB Stuttgart (0-2), conceded a goal, almost added another, and was taken off the pitch after 16 minutes (!) and from then on was never seen in the Bundesliga again.
The Bundesliga can be merciless, and given the external circumstances, Jacob Christensen could have faced a similar fate. The 22-year-old Dane slipped into the Billy Goats’ starting line-up for the first time in the 2-0 defeat of 1. FC Köln, who were in serious danger of relegation, against the supposedly overpowering FC Bayern, because the more experienced Eric Martel (yellow suspension) and Denis Huseinbasic (muscular problems) were unavailable . After five minutes, Christensen received a warning for kicking Harry Kane in the heels – and then delivered a performance that at least didn’t attract negative attention.
A misunderstanding on the starting eleven debut
However, as Cologne coach Timo Schultz described his midfielder’s performance, it wasn’t “a very good start”: Christensen actually had a hand in the game in the third minute of injury time when Bayern were down 2-0 (kicker grade 4 ). However, his misunderstanding with Luca Waldschmidt fell into the “can happen” category. Especially given Christensen’s lack of match practice: he has only been substituted on five times before.
“Jacob showed exactly what we expected from him,” said Schultz, probably meaning that Christensen’s performance was actually quite okay given the circumstances. However, the Dane is not a completely inexperienced rookie: he first played for FC Nordsjaelland in the first Danish league at the age of 17, and then appeared on the pitch 158 times for the club – including five times in qualifying for the Europa League .
Strong tackler next to Ljubicic
“Despite his age, he has already had many appearances in Nordsjaelland and was an influential player there,” says Schultz. This makes it all the more astonishing that Christensen still plays such a minor role in Cologne. However, an injury at the start of the season kept the blonde out of action for a long time. Schultz now found that he was “very confident on the ball” from the start in his first appearance and added: “He got more into the game with every minute, kept demanding the balls, released himself from the pressure and shifted to the side. ”
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Above all, Christensen also showed fighting qualities and was the Rhinelander’s second strongest tackler after central defender Timo Hübers with 66.7 percent of duels won. In collaboration with his partner Dejan Ljubicic, Christensen handled the defensive tasks of the double six. Which doesn’t have to be a flaw – especially when the opponent is FC Bayern Munich and they were able to be kept in check quite well for at least some time.
Christensen’s time in Cologne could only really begin in the summer
Will “Jaxe”, as coaches and teammates call him, be on the Bundesliga pitch more often? There will probably be no getting around Ljubicic, who once again hinted at a slight upturn in form. As a defensive variant of the double six, Martel is not without controversy, but it clearly has an advantage. Huseinbasic is valued for his busyness on offense.
The upcoming tasks in Cologne
Last year the club brought him from North Saelland in exchange for a six-figure training allowance. It’s quite possible that Christensen’s time in Cologne won’t really begin until the summer. Ljubicic and Martel are hot sales candidates, regardless of whether FC stays in the league or not. Then Christensen could slip into a more important role. At least one thing is clear: despite the adverse circumstances, he didn’t burn.
Incidentally, Marcos Antonio left Nuremberg for the Far East – also because of a long-term injury. With Johor Darul Ta’zim FC he won the Malaysian championship five times in a row starting in 2014.
2024-04-15 16:52:02
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