Timo Horn knows what it’s like to get off to a bad start in the second division with an ambitious team from Cologne, where the 2012/13 season began disastrously. In the end, they finished high up the table.
Timo Horn has 102 games in the second division under his belt. Almost all of them were for 1. FC Köln, with whom he mostly played for promotion in the Bundesliga’s lower division.
However, he has also experienced a season start as botched as the current one at VfL Bochum. In the 2012/13 season, FC Köln failed to pick up a single point in the first six matchdays – they were second from bottom and twelve points behind the promotion places. In the end, they finished fourth and missed out on promotion. But this example should encourage VfL Bochum that, despite three defeats in their first four games, nothing is lost yet.
However, VfL cannot afford to slip up again in the coming weeks. And that will not be easy, as they now travel to SC Paderborn (Friday, 6:30 p.m.), then to 1. FC Nürnberg, before Fortuna Düsseldorf comes to the Ruhrstadion.
From Bochum’s point of view, one can only hope that coach Dieter Hecking was able to use the international break after the 1-2 defeat to Münster to address the weaknesses.
Goalkeeper Horn said on Wednesday: “After the Münster game, everyone would have liked to have played again the following week. That gave us time to lick our wounds, as there were also a few injuries. We hope they come back quickly.“
However, the leading players are currently in particular demand, Horn: ”We have to turn things around now, no matter what. It’s all about results, and we want to finally deliver them.”
Otherwise, we’ll have to look down the table again, even if the veteran doesn’t see it that way yet. “It’s a bit early to declare a relegation battle. Of course, we had hoped for more, and we were close a few times. We played well at Schalke, but the results just aren’t there. We are aware of that. We now have two intense away games coming up. We want to catch up with the teams above us, because I always look up. That’s why I’m not talking about a relegation battle.”
To achieve these goals, Paderborn should already be sending a signal. Horn’s outlook: “Anyone who knows Paderborn knows how intense it is there. They are an aggressive team, so we have a lot to contend with. But we will be well prepared and we have to implement what the coach tells us on the pitch.” cb / gp