Timo Horn on the uniqueness of Cologne, Carnival and Anthony Modeste

With Anthony Modeste scoring for fun and Steffen Baumgart bringing in a new attacking philosophy, Cologne are in pursuit of the top six. Horn explains all to bundesliga.com...

Question: Hello Timo. First of all, a question for fans all over the world: What makes 11 November a special day in Cologne?

Timo Horn: "Yeah, it is the start of the carnival season. It is an important day for everyone from Cologne, I grew up with it, my parents would celebrate it and naturally you become a part of it. It is a core part of the city and on that day, it is jam-packed, everyone celebrates it and there is a very positive atmosphere flowing through the city. A lovely day."

Question: How is this day, 11 November, the carnival launch, celebrated?

Horn: "All the bars are open at 11:11 and that's when it all begins, people are celebrating, everyone is dressed up and it is the beginning of a long carnival season."

Question: As a native of Cologne, it must be part of your DNA?

Horn: "We always have a bit of luck that the international break is at this time as well, so those who are not national team players have the opportunity to celebrate it. At FC, we have a tradition that everyone comes to training in costume. It always makes an impact on the younger and newer players and it is always a nice day."

Question: Let's go to the next game in Mainz, also a carnival team from a carnival town. Does this fact make the rivalry perhaps even greater, to be the better carnival team?

Horn: "There is only one team that really identifies with it and that is the FC. In Cologne, you say 'alaaf' and for me it is the real carnival, it is also a fair bit larger than in Mainz. But it is always an interesting game against Mainz, it has been a hard-fought game in recent years, they are playing a good season and we have full focus on them."

Question: What do you expect from the game in Mainz?

Horn: "They are a physically robust team, against whom you have to hold your own. At home, they are also very dominant and have given the big teams problems. They have a good style of play and a blended team who take it to the opposition with an eye towards the goal and winning and we have to do what we have done in recent weeks, put Mainz under early pressure, not let them settle into the game and then we have a chance to do something."

Question: What would a win against Mainz mean?

Horn: "When you look at the table, you see that there aren't many points between us and the top but also not so many points between us and the bottom, it is a very hard-fought and even league. It would be nice to pick up the three points as we have been waiting a few weeks for a win, we had a few draws and a few games where we could have gotten more, such as the game in Dortmund, where we ended up going home empty-handed, and now it's the time to get three points again."

Question: Let's talk about the man of the hour at the club, Anthony Modeste. What happened to make him play so well and score so regularly?

Horn: "I think that he worked really hard on it, he didn't have an easy period with a lot of injuries that set him back, wasn't always able to take part in the full pre-season, which meant fitness was lacking a bit. But in the meantime, he has returned to a position where he can really help us, his goals have been a lifeline for us. In the air and the penalty box, he is incredibly difficult to defend, he has an instinct which you don't lose in the difficult times. He has returned to form, the goals have followed and it is clear to see that his self-confidence is back on the pitch and that has an effect on the opposition."

Question: What are Tony's special qualities, both athletically on the pitch and as a character off the pitch?

Horn: "He is an incredibly important player for the team, he is also a very funny guy and he lifts the mood in the team, even at times when things are not going to plan. He knows the club and its history well, he helps out the younger players and stands side by side with them. There are not many better finishers in the box than him in the Bundesliga. His instinct and ability to anticipate when and where the ball will come in, that cannot be taught. He has demonstrated that over and over again, with the 25 goals he scored to take us into Europe and he is on his way towards another good quota this season and I am delighted for him."

Question: How do you like his last celebration with the coach's hat?

Horn: "Yeah, I think that was a spontaneous thing, the coach may have wanted him to get back into position and perhaps score a third goal and Tony grabbed the hat. That is the kind of thing that goes hand in hand with Tony and Köln, the emotion that was missing for so long with Covid and with the stadium full with 50,000, emotions can fly out and you can understand that."

Question: And how did you like the personalised move with the celebratory glasses?

Horn: "That is his goal celebration, his trademark, there is a matching emoji which I gladly post, that is how he and the fans identify him."

Question: What do you think of the club's season so far after 11 rounds?

Horn: "I think we had a really good start to the season. Many people had their thoughts about us before the season, whether the squad was too weak for the Bundesliga with the two or three departures, which the club had to do for financial reasons, they were good sales. Through Covid, the situation has not been made easier in terms of new signings but with Steffen Baumgart as coach, he has given us self-confidence from day one and has set us on a path which we are far from finishing and I think in the meantime, we have developed a totally new playing philosophy, attacking football with high pressing, giving the opposition problems. On the other hand, we could have earned a few more points but it is a process we are working on and I think we are on the right track and will collect more points from it."

Question: As a goalkeeper, you'd prefer clean sheets. Why has it not worked out for you this season and how nice would it be for you?

Horn: "That is always the aim for a goalkeeper. The offensive way we play means there is, of course, one or two risks in defence, so while you might concede some counter-attacking goals, you score more. As a goalkeeper, I may not always be so happy but as long as we get the points and play well, then I am happy. We're on the right track there and it won't be long before we get a clean sheet in the Bundesliga."

Question: Only one goal conceded in 6 of 11 games. Is that the positive news, despite the offensive style of play?

Horn: "Yeah, I think so. Defence starts in attack, when you press high and win the balls there, that lightens the load for the defence and allows them to stay compact and focus on defending. It starts at the front and the coach is always mentioning that the forwards are the first defenders and should win the ball early, so I think if we can make that work in the coming weeks, we'll concede fewer goals."

Question: Under the new coach Steffen Baumgart, Cologne clearly plays more offensively and courageously. Does this also affect your play in goals?

Horn: "That does change some things as we play higher up the field and I need to watch my distancing as there is the possibility of long balls coming through, which we have seen in some situations where I have been an active player, the coach encourages that. The way we open things up has changed as well, wanting to play more flat, draw the offence in and find space behind the defence. That has usually worked well but once against Union Berlin it didn't work, we conceded and a lot of people saw that. But with this style of play, we have created a lot more chances and that is how we will approach the coming games."

Question: What kind of person is Steffen Baumgart?

Horn: "A very open coach who has strong inter-personal communication skills. He speaks to a lot of people individually for every game and tried to make everyone feel involved, which is great for the team's harmony to have somebody like that leading the way and knowing that he lives every moment with you on the sideline, he is like the 12th man. He always gives us input on the side and that is great for the team, always observing. Off the pitch, he is a very affable person, not like he sometimes comes across, very easy to approach and he has brought us on in terms of self-confidence and that does us a lot of good."

Question: Since March 2017, you haven't missed a Bundesliga game and you've played 124 times in a row in the Bundesliga. Is that a record that makes you proud?

Horn: "Yeah, that makes me very proud. Particularly as I have grown up here, being able to perform for the team and stay, fingers crossed, injury-free, that is very positive and makes me proud to be able to help the team. Every match I'm allowed to play for the FC means a lot to me and right now in this phase where we have fans back and the stadium is full, you feel the emotions you carry within as someone from Cologne and it makes me proud of every game I can play."

Question: In Bundesliga history, no other goalkeeper has managed to not concede in his first 364 minutes. How proud does this record make you today?

Horn: "Yeah, back then we had a different approach to what we have now, we made life very difficult for the opposition and our defence played more defensively, which in turn helps in terms of not conceding, I think we played 13 matches without conceding in my first Bundesliga season, which for me was a success and I hope to hold on to that record for a while longer."

Question: You've been with the club since the youth team and have been the number 1 keeper since 2012. You also stayed true to the club despite relegation. What does FC Köln mean to you personally?

Horn: "This is my second home, I have played for the FC since I was 9 years old, since 2002, which makes you proud when you come from Cologne, my parents grew up here and became FC fans.