Borussia Mönchengladbach have appointed Alexander Blessin as their new head coach. The 53-year-old has signed a contract until 2028 and is tasked with pulling the club out of the most severe crisis in its history.
The club's leadership confirmed the appointment on Tuesday. Blessin succeeds Eugen Polanski, who was dismissed after just three matchdays. Gladbach are bottom of the Bundesliga with zero points and 16 goals conceded after four defeats to start the season. This is the worst start in the club's history. The team already trails league leaders Borussia Dortmund by twelve points.
Experience for the crisis
Sporting director Rouven Schröder explained the decision by highlighting Blessin's profile. "We need a coach with great experience who has already shown he can handle difficult situations," Schröder said. Blessin spent the last two years at FC St. Pauli, where his newly-promoted side conceded only 41 goals last season. He was released following their relegation in 2026. Prior to that, the coach, who came through the RB Leipzig youth system, won the Belgian championship with Union Saint-Gilloise in 2024 and also worked at CFC Genoa and KV Oostende.
His playing style is considered intense and oriented towards counter-pressing. Blessin now has three weeks to impart his ideas before the Bundesliga resumes. His first match will be the Rhine Derby away to 1. FC Köln on October 11th. Köln currently sit in 13th place.
The Foals' current form is alarming. Their last five competitive matches have yielded four defeats and one win. Most recently, they lost 3-4 to FSV Mainz 05 at home. The game before that was a 5-0 thrashing in Freiburg. Injuries to Jens Castrop, Yukhym Konoplya and Enzo Leopold further complicate matters.
Blessin's mission begins with the derby in Cologne. A win there would be a long-overdue first sign of life.
First reported at n-tv.de
