Borussia in crisis - goalless at the front and headless at the back

Werder Bremen sealed Borussia Mönchengladbach's poor start to the season with a 4-0 victory, massively increasing the need for discussion in the Lower Rhine region. Sporting director Virkus has announced talks for this week.

That was sobering. Gladbach were humiliated 4-0 in their own Bundesliga stadium on Sunday by a cold-blooded Bremen side . Their defense was too sluggish, and their attack, without injured striker Tim Kleindienst, was too inoffensive. Overall, a performance that probably didn't win the team from the Lower Rhine any new fans for life among the 52,653 spectators. The chorus of whistles after the final whistle suggested that some people would have changed their bedsheets that very evening, given the image of a foal on them.

The Gladbach players, as well as all those in charge, face an uncomfortable week. After all, the lackluster performance against Werder has a history of disappointments. Last season, Borussia were in sixth place on Matchday 28 after a 1-1 draw at St. Pauli, and some fans were dreaming of European glory. They lost five of their last six games of the season, only managing to secure a point in stoppage time in a 4-4 draw with Hoffenheim – the late goal was scored by the now sorely missed Kleindienst.

After the summer break, the engine hasn't really started up yet. A shaky cup victory against fifth-division Atlas Delmenhorst was followed in the Bundesliga by a goalless draw against newly promoted Hamburger SV, a 1-0 defeat at VfB Stuttgart (already without Nick Woltemade), and now the 4-0 defeat at Bremen.

Accordingly, the fans in the stands seem to have lost their spark. Shrill whistles and calls of "Coach out" directed at Gerardo Seoane had the desired effect. Seoane disappeared into the catacombs with a petrified expression, and the players, after their tenth league game without a win, showed sympathy for the fans but no appreciation for their own performance: "They played a terrible game," complained Robin Hack, and Rocco Reitz added on the DAZN microphone that the fans were "naturally pissed off."

Rocco Reitz, Borussia midfielder

The fans had little cause for complaint at the start. Seoane's team started with a keen eye for the game and put Werder under pressure early on. However, Borussia lacked this defensive pressure at crucial moments. For example, in the 15th minute, when they simply let Samuel Mbangula do his thing in the penalty area, and he powerfully hammered the ball under the bar. They were similarly impervious to the 0-2 deficit, when Jens Stage was accompanied in the penalty area but not properly defended (26th minute).

Gladbach certainly made some offensive moves, led by Robin Hack, but were thwarted either by more aggressive defenders or by the occasional lack of luck in the finishing. In the second half, the fans waited in vain for the offensive response they likely expected after falling behind 2-0. After a Reitz header was cleared off the line in the 69th minute, Romano Schmid sealed the victory with a penalty (74th minute), before both teams let the game die down after Justin Njinmah made it 4-0 in the 81st minute.

With one point and no goals, things are looking so bleak that sporting director Roland Virkus didn't want to comment on the future of the coaching team. After "a game like this," he said, he had to first examine the reasons: "Despite everything, it's my job to discuss the whole thing objectively, certainly not today." They'll have to sleep on this game for a while.

Gladbach's sports director Roland Virkus

In 58 years of Bundesliga football, Borussia's only worse record after three matchdays was the 2015/16 season (0 points, 2-8 goals). However, Virkus doesn't seem like the man who can be expected to make hasty decisions. He has announced talks for the start of the week: "You have to look: What's the main problem? You have to work on it together with the team, together with the coach, and resolve it as quickly as possible. That's my demand. And that's about the club."

The disappointment runs deep for everyone. "The blow feels the same for everyone – for fans, players, and staff. We have to come to terms with this setback," said Swiss coach Seoane. The conclusions drawn from the announced talks will likely become clear soon, as Gladbach face tough games against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt in the next two weeks. After the performance against Bremen, it's clear: simply changing the sheets is unlikely to achieve much more against these clubs than against Werder Bremen.

• Bundesliga match of the 3rd matchday: Borussia Mönchengladbach - Werder Bremen
• News agencies DPA and SID

• WDR
• Bundesliga
• football
• Borussia Mönchengladbach