Borussia Mönchengladbach's catastrophic defensive collapse against SV Elversberg has prompted coach Eugen Polanski to take drastic action. The Foals suffered a 4-3 home defeat on Saturday after leading 3-1, leaving them 17th in the Bundesliga table with zero points and seven goals conceded after two matchdays. OneFootball first reported the story.
Polanski told OneFootball it was "a shitty game with a shitty ending". His team completely fell apart in the second half, conceding three goals in the final 30 minutes. "You can only tackle this with 'shock therapy', and that means we will look at the videos and scenes," the coach explained regarding the immediate response to the debacle.
What went wrong with Gladbach's defense?
The defensive problems were varied and started early. Ko Itakura made an individual error leading to the first goal. For the second goal, David Mokwa engaged in a running duel that Gladbach's defense should have avoided. Elversberg's third was a directly converted free kick, and the fourth goal resulted from naive defending. This series of errors means the team has now conceded seven goals following their 3-0 away defeat to RB Leipzig on the opening day. The current goal difference of minus four is a heavy burden for the season.
How is the club management reacting to the crisis?
Sporting director Rouven Schröder and coach Eugen Polanski are under enormous pressure. Polanski remained in charge after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, with the squad and coaching staff comprehensively rebuilt. Back in February, the coach described himself as "extremely pissed off" after a 3-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. The current situation with zero points from two games and a six-point gap to leaders FC Augsburg intensifies the pressure. The next test comes on September 12th against currently second-placed SC Freiburg, as shown on our fixtures page.
Were there any positive aspects to the match?
Despite the disastrous result, Borussia Mönchengladbach's attack showed some encouraging approaches. Hugo Bolin scored two goals, continuing the quality Polanski has praised since his arrival at the start of the year. Joe Scally added another goal, and the team created enough chances to establish a dominant position. The offense managed three goals this season, but this was completely negated by the seven conceded. The complete team statistics are available on our stats page.
What's next for Gladbach?
The immediate future involves thorough video analysis of all defensive scenes, as Polanski announced. The team must recover quickly from the shock because the Bundesliga schedule waits for no one. The away match at SC Freiburg in three days will be another tough examination. Gladbach urgently needs to collect points to avoid sinking into the early relegation zone. The current 17th position is documented in the Bundesliga standings and shows the urgent need for action. The next opportunity for correction comes on September 12th, 2026, in Freiburg.
