Unusual measure forces Gladbach stars to take a lecture

Unusual measure for Gladbach stars: On Sunday afternoon, 1. FC Köln will host league-bottom Borussia Mönchengladbach at the RheinEnergieStadion. Both teams are currently in the Bundesliga at positions twelve and eighteen, have zero points after four matchdays, and head into the game with an important derby.

League position of both teams

1. FC Köln currently occupies the twelfth place in the table, while Borussia Mönchengladbach holds the last rank. Both sides have not collected any points after the first four matchdays, underscoring the urgency of a win. Thus both clubs face the task of urgently gathering points in the upcoming games.

Alexander Blessin, the new head coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach, used the international break to work with his squad without immediate competitive pressure. At the same time, he had to accept that several players were on national team duty and could not train. The missing internationals are especially felt in defence, which makes preparation more difficult.

Unusual frontal instruction

To reintegrate the returning internationals as quickly as possible, Blessin resorts to an unusual measure: an intensive “frontal instruction”. As he told WDR: “Let’s see how much the head will smoke then. We have to get it done as quickly as possible, so that we can show the lads what we have worked on in the past ten days.”

Affected include centre‑backs Ko Itakura, Kevin Diks and Jan Leszczynski, who make up almost the entire defensive core. Since the Foals’ eleven is expected to switch to a three‑man backline, the centre‑backs in particular must implement the tactical change immediately. The players are to apply the new instructions already in training so that they are ready for the derby straight away.

Tactical shift to a three‑man backline

The planned switch to a three‑man backline requires the centre‑backs to adopt a new positional play and a faster coordination, which is why Blessin deems the extra training sessions necessary. Blessin hopes the compact formation will stabilise the defence while also creating attacking opportunities.

Blessin stresses the importance of the Rhine derby: “Derbies are something great, I’m looking forward to it. The situation is precarious, we need the points. It can be a spark, and we want to use that for ourselves.”

A win at the Effzeh could noticeably stoke the still‑small flame of revival and serve as an energy boost for the weeks ahead, as the team urgently needs new impetus after zero points. A positive result could strengthen confidence and reset the season.