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The fact that German phenom Said El Mala has scored just one goal in his last four fixtures, some may say, hardly constitutes a form dip. The expectations attached to the 19-year-old nevertheless make it something worthy of addressing. That, at least, is what some reporters thought at Köln’s Wednesday Bundesliga pre-match press conference.
Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok found himself questioned about El Mala. Kwasniok’s candor when discussing the youngster’s development has sometimes led to the coach picking up some criticism. In this particular case, however, matters proceeded rather normally. Kwasniok simply built the youngster up.
Kwasniok on Said El Mala’s form dip
“This is the first tip since his rise that he’s encountered a little stall,” Kwasniok said. “It was effectively superhuman what he delivered before, but the expectations remain the same. After he lasted through the ceiling, everyone expected him to keep doing so.
“We’ve attempted to proceed gingerly and cautiously the whole time,” Kwasniok continued. “The idea is for the player not to lose his joy for his life’s great passion. It naturally doesn’t help when there’s immense hype. He’s in a phase of sorts now.
“He’s not flowing as freely as he was up until the middle of December,” Kwasniok went on. “We’re standing right there beside him during this phase. We hope to find the right mixture of starting and substitute appearances.
“And, just like with everyone else, his minutes are tied to his training performances,” Kwasniok concluded. “We’ll see if he plays on Friday from the beginning or if he comes off the bench.“
Kwasniok on the challenge of helping young players
“I’m glad to hear that come out of your mouth,” Kwasniok answered when a reporter brought up the matter of El Mala’s age. “We all tend to forget [how young he is]. He deals with it well enough, but I always witnessed how preoccupied he is [with his fame and celebrity].
“These young players live on their phones,” Kwasniok continued. “And they constantly see their own image on their phones constantly. They have to learn how to deal with that. All of us [being older] never had to deal with that. It’s a totally novel type of situation.
“It’s better for these lads if they think and study about hyped up young footballers from the past,” Kwasniok concluded. “Perhaps if they learn how they coped with it [fame and celebrity], then they can learn how to deal with it.“
GGFN | Peter Weis
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