Eugen Polanski and Borussia Mönchengladbach appear set to part company after latest Bundesliga debacle

Eugen Polanski and Borussia Mönchengladbach appear set to part company after latest Bundesliga debacle Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Rouven Schröder refused to guarantee Eugen Polanski would remain head coach for next weekend’s Bundesliga fixture against Mainz following Saturday’s disastrous 5-0 defeat away at SC Freiburg. Neither Schröder nor Polanski attempted to disguise the severity of the situation after Gladbach fell to a third consecutive league defeat. Both confirmed that Polanski’s future will now form part of extensive internal discussions. The numbers make the scale of the crisis difficult to overstate. Gladbach have zero points after three Bundesliga matches, with three goals scored and 12 conceded. Based on points and goal difference, it constitutes the worst start to a Bundesliga season through three matchdays in the club’s history. Even the infamous 2015/16 campaign, during which Lucien Favre resigned after five consecutive defeats to begin the season, was marginally better at this stage. Gladbach also had zero points after three matches that year, but carried a goal difference of minus-six. Polanski’s 2026/27 side are already at minus-nine. Last year at this time, former Gladbach trainer Gerardo Seoane’s team hadn’t scored a single goal, yet had at least picked up a point. A 0-4 home defeat against Werder Bremen on matchday three spelled the end for Seoane’s coaching regime. Polanski took over – initially on an interim basis – the very next week. Polanski could therefore depart at almost exactly the same stage of the season at which he took over 12 months ago. Schröder declines to fully back Polanski “It’s obviously a general situation that’s extremely bitter,” Schröder told Sky Germany after the Freiburg defeat. “We’re all doing our best, but we have a responsibility to our work and keeping Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. It’s important that we keep it real in the coming days.” “At the end of the day, we have zero points,” Schröder continued. “It’s not about individuals. It’s about how to get Gladbach to start earning points. That’s the great question. That’s what we’re here talking about. We need to get to work on this as soon as possible.” “Everyone’s very depressed and despondent,” Schröder concluded. “It’s most important that we all calm down and focus on producing the right thoughts. In terms of analysis, there’s today, but there’s also tomorrow after we travel back and get a good night’s sleep before diving deep into the analysis. We have one more game and we don’t want to go into the international break with no points.” Schröder was specifically asked whether Polanski would be on the bench next weekend. “I know you have to ask that question,” he told his Sky interviewer. “We’ll be conducting the conversation with Eugen, with the team, the team leadership council, and everyone who was involved today. We’ll talk about whether or not we want to proceed with this set-up. It’s all about points and not about people.” As noted in GGFN ’s 2026/27 Borussia Mönchengladbach tactical preview , Polanski entered the season under significant pressure to produce immediate improvement. Schröder substantially reshaped the coaching staff around him while the front office mandated a return to a back four. Polanski accepts discussion about his future Polanski himself made no attempt to portray speculation about his job as premature. “I can definitely understand the talk [about my future],” the 40-year-old said at his post-match press conference. “We have too few points. The discussion is totally justified. I’m partially responsible for this. I’ll face the situation just as I did many times last season. I don’t want to make any excuses.” After Gladbach surrendered a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 at home to newly promoted Elversberg last weekend, GGFN documented Polanski describing his team’s defensive work as “pure madness” and prescribing “shock therapy” . Captain Kleindienst was similarly scathing. GGFN covered the veteran striker urging teammates to “watch less TikTok” and concentrate properly over 90 minutes . Seven days later, Gladbach conceded five more. Kleindienst’s afternoon ended early when a second yellow card reduced Gladbach to ten men. Polanski appears defeated at press conference “It’s a bitter Bundesliga reality,” Polanski noted at the beginning of the post-match press conference. “Not just the game, but also the standings. I felt [Tim Kleindienst’s] yellow-red card was harsh, but we’ve other problems to discuss. We weren’t able to stop a flood of goals. All of it was defendable.” “I’ve never seen [individual] defensive mistakes with such a number and frequency as I’ve seen in the first three matchdays,” Polanski noted in response to a later question. “Unfortunately, this pattern continues. As my colleague Julian [Schuster] pointed out, there are these nuances of [defensive] cooperation and backing each other up at the right moment. “We’re just not doing that right now,” Polanski continued. “These are the nuances and there are bigger details which are occurring with such frequency that certainly aren’t helpful to lend you a good feeling or stop the flood of goals against.” Eugen Polanski expects clarity over future “I think it’s important to sit down with those affected,” Polanski noted when pressed about his future a second time. “And that’s the inner circle. There are many who wish to have their say, but there are only a few who can judge me on my review sessions, on my training content, and training performances. We need to get together and talk about whether we’re still on the right track.” “Rouven [Schröder] and I get together after every Bundesliga matchday and talk it out together,” Polanski said in response to the final question of his press conference. “We’ll do it the same way this time. And I think [my future] should be clarified before we discuss anything else.” Whether the formal decision comes immediately or after further internal discussions, the cooperation between Gladbach and Polanski appears to be approaching its end. The body language of both the coach and sporting director renders it increasingly difficult to imagine the current cooperation continuing. In GGFN ’s assessment, a separation now appears the likeliest outcome. GGFN  |  Peter Weis