Moving forward is the sole option. - Witnessing the Miracle of Cologne: A Look at TIGGES's Approach
Steffen Tigges (25 years old) nearly became known as Cologne's biggest bomb of a striker, receiving little playing time and scoring nothing. His 2-1 equalizer against Bochum in early April sparked a comeback victory, and then another crucial equalizer (90') in the 3-2 madness against Union came to pass.
Tigges' two goals of the season are responsible for the small hopes left in the clash with Heidenheim this Saturday (3:30 PM, live ticker here). A victory is desperately needed to avoid relegation, Union must lose to Freiburg at the same time, and at least four goals must be met to keep up with the Iron.
Tigges has a clear idea of how the rescue miracle can be achieved: "We're hoping to take the initiative early, wanting to push the game in our favor from the get-go. That's why the only thing we're thinking is forward."
The striker draws inspiration from the victory over Union: "We also had a do-or-die situation last week, and we came out on top. The team didn't collapse after falling 2-0 behind but demonstrated that we can rely on each other. We take confidence from that and distribute the pressure across all shoulders. We've shown in recent games that we stand together, even when things aren't going our way. We're attempting to regain that certain level of confidence during training through lots of repetitions. Perhaps the knot will burst for everyone on Saturday."
Tigges at least seems to have found his scoring instinct again in the late stages of the season. He reflects on his challenging time in Cologne: "It wasn't a walk in the park for me this year. The coach and I had a rough beginning that we had to navigate through. However, our relationship remained fair and collegial. It's satisfying that I've been able to make up for the trust placed in me."
Now, Tigges needs to continue to make good on that trust to avoid two relegation deciders.
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Source: symclub.org
