No sun in Gladbach

Gladbach haven’t won in Bremen in more than 25 years. The last match along the Weser ended in a 2-2 draw.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Thursday, 18.10.2012 / 16:08

The fall is here, also in Gladbach. A chilly breeze, falling leaves and doldrums are causing concern in the Rhine River area. But it's not just the weather doldrums, but also doldrums in the sports sense. After a slow start...

The fall is here, also in Gladbach. A chilly breeze, falling leaves and doldrums are causing concern in the Rhine River area. But it's not just the weather doldrums, but also doldrums in the sports sense. After a slow start in the Bundesliga and the Europa League, all the glitter and ease of last season is long gone for Borussia Mönchengladbach. The team is making headlines with disciplinary issues and even the usually even-keel head coach Lucien Favre got caught up in the struggles of his team and publicly snubbed one of his players. As if there were not enough problems, now Borussia have to face off against Werder. And of all things in Bremen, where Gladbach have not won in 25 years.

Just a couple months ago, when everything was still bright and fans talked of an established top level team, Favre already set off the warning bells. The Swiss coach knew he had lost three huge pillars of his team's success last season in Marco Reus (Dortmund), Roman Neustädter (Schalke) and Dante (Bayern). Sports director Max Eberl worked hard to find strong replacements and brought in top Dutch striker Luuk de Jong from FC Twente, Spaniard Álvaro Domínguez from Europa League winners Atletico Madrid and Swiss talent Granit Xhaka from FC Basle. Werder coach Thomas Schaaf was among those who praised the Gladbach side, saying: "Gladbach have excellent individual players and a good team."

Two Swissmen in Gladbach: Granit Xhaka (left) and head coach Lucien Favre (right).

"I am not Harry Potter"

Favre was happy about the new acquisitions but also pumped the breaks on the wave of euphoria. "I am not Harry Potter. A coach can do a lot of things, but there are also things a coach cannot change," explained the coach and demanded patience from the fans. After just two victories in seven matches, Gladbach have nine points - two more than Werder Bremen - and a spot in the middle of the table.

Max Eberl still is confident: "We knew that we would need time."

On Saturday, 20 October 2012 at 6:30 p.m., two teams will be facing off with the hopes of a breakthrough on the way to a positive season. Both Bremen and Gladbach are far from that thus far. "The sun isn't really shining here at the moment," said Favre about the current situation. Still, the team ended a seven-match winless streak on the last game day, with a 2-0 win over the hot team at the moment Eintracht Frankfurt. The past doesn't provide much hope that this success could be repeated in Bremen. Gladbach's last victory in Bremen came more than 25 years ago. It's autumn in Gladbach and the sunny days of summer are definitely well in the past.

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