A three-week pause appeared to be just what Borussia Mönchengladbach required after a painful opening to their Bundesliga season, and it may also have suited newly appointed coach Alexander Blessin. Beginning his tenure with a derby against fierce rivals Köln offered an immediate chance to sharpen the squad’s concentration. However, the circumstances were far from ideal. Blessin starts his spell in much the same position as Eugen Polanski and interim boss Jan-Moritz Lichte before him: dealing with another damaging defeat and facing a difficult week ahead.
Few weeks feel as long as the one following a derby defeat. Blessin met several important members of his squad only a few days before the journey to Köln, while others were unavailable. Franck Honorat remained sidelined alongside striker Tim Kleindienst and defender Ko Itakura. With little opportunity to regroup, the coach must quickly teach his defenders the direct and disciplined principles that helped his modestly funded St Pauli side remain competitive.
It would be misleading to suggest that Isak Johannesson’s spectacular strike and Saïd El Mala’s winning goal were the only differences between the teams. Gladbach could easily have suffered a heavier defeat, particularly if Köln had been able to call upon injured attackers Ragnar Ache and Thijs Dallinga. The hosts had problems of their own, including the absence of goat mascot Hennes IX, who was quarantined at the city zoo because of an avian flu outbreak. Their situation worsened when influential midfielder Ellyes Skhiri was carried off on a stretcher during the first half.
Köln nevertheless had a player ready to become the derby hero. Germany international El Mala resembles a talent from a less controlled era: unpredictable, instinctive and capable of delighting and frustrating in equal measure. This time, as on several previous occasions, he settled the contest. His standing at the club has grown since a proposed summer transfer to Borussia Dortmund collapsed. He became the first player to receive Köln’s No 10 shirt since Lukas Podolski and also agreed a contract extension. “I’ve never felt so motivated for a match,” he said after cutting in from the left and curling a right-footed effort beyond Moritz Nicolas into the far corner, a finish that has become his signature.
“The last few weeks have been somewhat difficult for me,” El Mala said after scoring his first goal since the opening round. “My strength is that I never stop trying and always carry on.” He possesses the qualities associated with a future star: ability, confidence and an increasingly obvious willingness to accept responsibility. As a teenager last season, he scored 13 goals in 20 league starts. Now established as a senior Germany international, he appears comfortable carrying much of his team’s attacking burden.
Gladbach’s disappointment comes not only from losing but also from knowing that they do not possess a player like El Mala. The club has seen numerous leading figures depart in recent years, including Marcus Thuram, Jonas Hofmann and Rocco Reitz. Its management problems have been widely discussed, and Blessin must now begin a demanding climb from the bottom, made tougher by Union finally winning against Elversberg, without many outstanding individuals in his squad. He may not be the glamorous appointment supporters imagined, but given the club’s limited resources, he could be the practical choice it needs.
Key talking points
Freiburg remain at the summit and have even increased their advantage, despite spending a significant part of the second half against Schalke with only 10 players. Kaisuke Goto headed home in the 85th minute after two substitutes combined, with experienced playmaker Vincenzo Grifo supplying an excellent cross. “It doesn’t seem especially meaningful because the season has only just started,” Matthias Ginter said cautiously afterward, a response that underlined Freiburg’s growing expectations under Julian Schuster.
Schalke were not the only team left frustrated. Dortmund also surrendered points against longstanding rivals Werder Bremen on Friday. BVB led 2-0 in the 88th minute but lost their perfect record when former striker Niclas Füllkrug equalised during added time, extending his scoring streak to four consecutive matches. He celebrated the goal but later explained: “I scored for my current team, not against my former one.” Dortmund have endured similar collapses before, including a 3-2 defeat by Werder four years earlier, although such mistakes have occurred less frequently under Niko Kovac. “We can only blame ourselves,” the coach admitted, before directing much of his frustration toward referee Bastian Dankert for ruling out a possible opening goal from Ethan Nwaneri.
Bayern dropped points as well, although they twice had to recover from behind during the short journey to Augsburg. They conceded the fastest goal in Bundesliga history after only 8.4 seconds, when Robin Fellhauer blocked Manuel Neuer’s attempted clearance and calmly finished. At the age of 40, it is an unwanted record for Neuer and has renewed discussion about how Vincent Kompany will oversee the eventual transition to Jonas Urbig as first-choice goalkeeper. The issue feels increasingly relevant following Neuer’s disappointing World Cup return and Urbig’s recent Germany debut under Jürgen Klopp. In attack, Harry Kane created both Bayern goals for Ismaël Saibari and Nathaniel Brown, but the champions wasted enough opportunities to have won comfortably.
Remarkably, Christopher Nkunku currently has more Bundesliga goals than Kane after scoring three times in RB Leipzig’s 6-0 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt. Leipzig established a two-goal advantage inside the opening five minutes, and Nkunku completed his hat-trick before the interval. Frankfurt’s persistent defensive weaknesses remained obvious despite Adi Hütter’s return, and the coach openly criticised captain Robin Koch after replacing him at half-time. “There is no point trying to make it sound better than it was,” Koch admitted. “Our display was disastrous.”
Match summary
Bundesliga results
Show
Dortmund 2-2 Werder, Mainz 3-4 Leverkusen, Hoffenheim 2-3 Hamburg, Union Berlin 1-0 SV Elversberg, Paderborn 0-2 VfB Stuttgart, Augsburg 2-2 Bayern, RB Leipzig 6-0 Eintracht Frankfurt, Köln 2-1 Mönchengladbach, Freiburg 2-1 Schalke
Bayer Leverkusen earned their first away victory of the campaign at Mainz, although they made the task far more difficult than necessary. After producing some excellent football and building a two-goal lead, they allowed Mainz back into the contest. Leverkusen then moved 4-2 ahead before Benedict Hollerbach’s late strike created a nervous finish. That goal at least ensured Moussa Diaby’s first effort since returning to the club proved decisive. Patrik Schick also matched former Leverkusen forwards Stefan Kießling and Dimitar Berbatov by scoring in each of the opening five matches of a Bundesliga season.
Hoffenheim, another German side involved in the Europa League, continued their difficult opening to the season. They surrendered a 2-1 advantage against Hamburg late in the match, with Miro Muheim scoring a powerful winner in the fourth minute of added time after Bernardo had been sent off. Following four defeats in five league fixtures and a European loss at OFI Crete, Christian Ilzer’s team must now prepare to face Besiktas on Thursday before travelling to Gladbach for a match that suddenly carries considerable importance.
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