Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach prescribes ‘shock therapy’ after latest defensive collapse

Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach prescribes ‘shock therapy’ after latest defensive collapse Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Eugen Polanski struggled to find the words after watching his team surrender a two-goal lead in Saturday’s 4-3 home defeat to newly-promoted SV Elversberg. Gladbach appeared well on their way to securing their first points of the new Bundesliga campaign after Hugo Bolin’s brace and Joe Scally’s second-half goal established a 3-1 advantage. Instead, three Elversberg goals over the final half-hour condemned the foals to a second consecutive league defeat. After losing 3-0 away at RB Leipzig on the opening matchday, Gladbach now sit on zero points with seven goals conceded. “For us, it was a shitty game with a shitty ending,” Polanski noted in his opening remarks at the post-match press conference. “We could talk about plenty of positive things up to the 3-1, but then we did so many things wrong — something that’s inexplicable to me. “Accordingly, it wasn’t a very nice footballing afternoon for us,” Polanski continued. “Too many mistakes and too many goals conceded. That’s why we lost this game.” Gladbach’s defensive mistakes leave Polanski baffled As examined in Get German Football News’s 2026/27 Borussia Mönchengladbach tactical preview , sporting director Rouven Schröder opted to retain Polanski following last season’s difficult relegation battle while substantially restructuring both the squad and coaching staff. Polanski endured significant pressure during that campaign. Following a 3-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in February , the Gladbach trainer described himself as “extremely pissed” while lamenting his team’s persistent failure to execute basic actions properly. The same frustration with avoidable mistakes resurfaced on Saturday. “It began in the first half with the first goal conceded,” Polanski said when asked about his team’s collapse. “There was an individual error from Ko [Itakura], but despite that we could have marked more closely. “We shouldn’t have gotten into a footrace with [David] Mokwa,” Polanski continued. “We could have cleared or employed a tactical foul. We’re killing ourselves [with these decisions]. It was the same with the second goal.” “The third goal was a directly converted free kick,” Polanski later noted. “There wasn’t much anybody could do about that. And then on the fourth goal, we were incredibly naive. I just don’t have the words.” Polanski refuses to question Gladbach mentality “Of course, [the jeers from the hometown fans] hurt, but not as much as giving the three points away,” Polanski said. “One can’t accuse a single player of lacking intensity or mentality. The fact that we let in three goals in the second half means we must identify with every last fan who didn’t have a nice afternoon.” Polanski prescribes “shock therapy” “It’s clear to me that we’ve nothing else to discuss besides these three goals,” Polanski said. “In the final analysis, we have to address these mistakes. This consistent failure to defend is pure madness.” “That can only be addressed with ‘shock therapy’ and that means reviewing the video and scenes,” Polanski continued. “In the end, it’s up to the team to respond to it. We have to build the lads back up.” After only two Bundesliga matchdays, Gladbach once again find themselves confronting uncomfortable questions. There were certainly encouraging attacking signs on Saturday. Bolin continued to demonstrate the quality Polanski praised following his arrival earlier this year , while the foals created enough opportunities to place themselves in a commanding position. None of that mattered after the defense collapsed. Polanski spent much of last season asking his players to translate their training-ground work into competitive football. His message after Saturday’s defeat was more urgent. Gladbach must stop killing themselves. GGFN  |  Peter Weis