In the first meeting of the two teams of the season, 1.FC Köln were in control throughout as they comfortably beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1.
The first half was all about Köln, they were in total control throughout even to the point that Gladbach were unable to get a shot on target. The opening goal in the first half came from a Florian Kainz penalty after a handball from Manu Koné where he was just inside the 18-yard box.
In the second half, Köln would once again control the game. Gladbach were able to grab a goal back from Nico Elvedi. However, a series of unfortunate events meant Gladbach went down to 10 men after Manu Koné was sent off and minutes later Köln retook a penalty to make it 2-1. Köln would then secure the win with a late goal from Luca Waldschmidt who had won the second penalty.
The win sees Köln move into 16th position outside of the automatic relegation zone.
1.FC Köln show that they can attack:
Before this game, Köln had one of the worst attacks in the league having only scored four goals all season. What this game showed was that they have the capabilities to be more effective in attack. The only issue was Köln’s effectiveness in front of goal, two of their goals came from penalties and they were only able to convert one shot from a possible 23.
With a run of games against favourable opponents on the horizon, if Köln can show this same form against these teams they can easily lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
Gladbach are stagnant:
The summer was always meant to be a period of transition for Gladbach with a host of key players leaving the club but the situation seems a lot worse than first thought. Gerardo Seoane has failed to show the same attacking prowess as when he was in charge at Bayer Leverkusen and it does not look like it is changing anytime soon.
It is clear that Gladbach have not improved under Seoane compared to Daniel Farke and it could be entirely possible that if things continue to get worse, Gladbach will be on their fourth coach in season next year.
Manu Koné shouldn’t leave in the winter:
Amid reports that Gladbach are happy to let Koné leave in the winter, this is likely to not be a smart move for Koné or the buying party. The 22-year-old is low on confidence and form and that was seen once again today.
There were glimpses of his quality but it would make sense for him to stay at the club until the summer to regain his confidence and it could mean that Gladbach may even receive more money for the midfielder. This was Koné’s second start for Gladbach this season after suffering a knee injury at the under-21 Euros in the summer.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
