Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Alexander Blessin faces a daunting task as his team prepares to visit VfB Stuttgart on Friday evening. The Bundesliga’s bottom club stands on the brink of an unwanted historical record, with nine first-team players unavailable for a fixture that could see Gladbach become the first team in Bundesliga history to lose their opening seven matches.
Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Blessin offered a somewhat sardonic introduction to his lengthy list of absentees.
“This is a nice piece of white paper,” Blessin remarked while looking at the printed out copy of his club’s injury report. “Not much has changed for the better. We have Isak [Lidberg] out with muscular problems. We have Tim [Kleindienst] who is still struggling with his muscle tear. We have Jan [Leszczynski] and his knee sprain, but he looks good and I’m cautiously optimistic.
“Fritz [Fleck] also has a severe sprain, but I think he’ll be back very soon,” Blessin continued. “Nick [Nicolas Kühn], it’s simply too early for him to feature. It’s the same thing with Jens [Castrop]. To be perfectly honest, he’s a long way out. He’s completed three training sessions. I hope he’ll be able to return to the squad next week. Ko [Itakura] will be integrated back into team training soon. The same applies to Franck [Honorat].
“Everyone knows what’s going on with Enzo [Leopold] and his ACL tear,” Blessin concluded. “A lot of players won’t be available. But we’ll still be able to field a strong team tomorrow.”
Gladbach face historic Bundesliga record with depleted attack
The absence of Isac Lidberg represents another particularly unwelcome development for Blessin. The Swedish striker was forced off during Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat against Hoffenheim after experiencing discomfort in his thigh. With captain Tim Kleindienst also sidelined, Gladbach have been deprived of two important options at centre-forward.
Stuttgart themselves must contend with the absence of their leading Bundesliga goalscorer Josha Vagnoman, but Gladbach’s attacking predicament is nevertheless much more severe. Shuto Machino is now expected to shoulder much of the responsibility up front. the 27-year-old has struggled to make a consistent goalscoring contribution and has not scored from open play since January.
Blessin confirmed that 19-year-old striker Iaia Manco Danfa would be included in the matchday squad, although the youngster is not yet considered a realistic starting option. Danfa made his professional debut in this past Sunday’s 1-2 home loss to Hoffenheim, logging 12 minutes as a substitute off Blessin’s bench.
“No, he’s not an option to start,” Blessin answered when questioned about the youngster. “I have no fear of throwing young players into the fray, but it depends on what they show in training. That he’s made a good impression is clear and he will be in the squad. But we’ve work to do [with him] on the bench.”
The personnel shortage comes at a particularly difficult moment in Gladbach’s history. The five-time German champions have lost all six of their opening Bundesliga fixtures, conceding 20 goals while scoring just eight. Their zero-point return leaves them five points adrift of 17th-placed Union Berlin.
Only three other clubs have previously suffered six consecutive defeats to begin a Bundesliga campaign: Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1991/92, Mainz 05 in 2020/21, and VfL Bochum in 2022/23. All three collected their first points on Matchday 7. A defeat against Stuttgart would therefore establish an unprecedented Bundesliga record.
Blessin, who previously represented Stuttgart during his playing career, has inherited an exceptionally difficult situation. The 53-year-old took charge during the international break following Gladbach’s opening four defeats, but has subsequently overseen losses against Köln and Hoffenheim. Friday’s encounter consequently offers another opportunity to avert a historical embarrassment while securing the first points of the new campaign.
Gladbach’s defensive difficulties are particularly concerning given their inability to consistently establish control in possession. Against Hoffenheim, the hosts improved after halftime and equalized in the 49th minute, only to surrender the initiative again through another avoidable defensive lapse.
Blessin has responded by conducting this week’s training sessions behind closed doors, seeking to establish greater tactical clarity and collective responsibility ahead of the Stuttgart fixture.
Gladbach’s summer recruitment campaign proves a flop
The current injury crisis has also exposed serious problems with the club’s summer squad planning. Gladbach recruited ten players during the transfer window, but the vast majority have struggled to make a sustained contribution. Japanese midfielder Zento Uno suffered a serious ankle injury before joining from Shimizu S-Pulse and subsequently encountered further muscular setbacks. He did not make his competitive debut until Matchday 5 and only earned his first start against Hoffenheim.
Ukrainian international Yukhym Konoplia was recruited to address Gladbach’s longstanding problems at right-back, but sustained a knee ligament injury during preseason and has yet to feature competitively. His replacement, loan signing Daiki Hashioka, also missed several weeks following a collision with Antonio Nusa against Leipzig. The Japanese defender’s performances since returning have been questionable.
Deadline-day acquisition Nicolas Kühn has managed only one brief substitute appearance because of a muscle-bundle tear, while former Hannover captain Enzo Leopold faces an extended absence after tearing his ACL in September. The return of Ko Itakura from Ajax was intended to strengthen Gladbach’s defensive leadership, but the Japanese international struggled for form before suffering a muscle-fibre tear.
Meanwhile, promising Polish centre-back Jan Leszczynski, one of the few bright spots among the newcomers, has also been sidelined with a knee injury. These absences have disrupted Blessin’s preferred three-man defensive line while leaving several positions desperately short of experienced alternatives.
Former Karlsruhe left-back David Herold has primarily struggled to displace Lukas Ullrich. The entire picture raises questions about the sporting returns from an ambitious recruitment campaign that has yet to produce meaningful improvements.
Schröder accepts responsibility as supporters demand leadership changes
The crisis has intensified scrutiny of Gladbach sporting director Rouven Schröder. Following Sunday’s defeat, Schröder acknowledged his own responsibility for the situation while insisting that the club must remain united. Schröder’s emphasis on solidarity reflects growing concerns that Gladbach’s deteriorating confidence could compound their sporting problems.
The dissatisfaction has also extended beyond sporting management to Gladbach’s institutional leadership. The FPMG Supporters Club, an umbrella organization representing more than 6,500 supporters, renewed its demand this week for club president Rainer Bonhof and other members of the executive committee to resign.
The association initially called for changes ahead of April’s general meeting, warning that Gladbach risked losing the opportunity to implement substantial reforms while still competing in the Bundesliga. Following the team’s disastrous opening six matches, the supporters’ organization reiterated its position.
“We will not stand idly by and watch as our club is driven into the ground,” the association declared in a statement released Monday.
History offers Gladbach a measure of encouragement
There is, at least, an unusual historical precedent suggesting that Gladbach’s Bundesliga campaign is not necessarily beyond recovery. Of the three previous teams to lose their opening six matches, two ultimately avoided relegation. Remarkably, current Gladbach midfielder Kevin Stöger was involved in both successful survival campaigns.
The Austrian joined Mainz during their disastrous 2020/21 opening and subsequently contributed to the remarkable recovery overseen by Bo Svensson. Mainz eventually finished 12th, with Stöger scoring important late goals against Bayer Leverkusen and, ironically, Borussia Mönchengladbach. Stöger experienced a similar situation at Bochum in 2022/23.
After six opening defeats and a managerial change, the Ruhr club recovered under Thomas Letsch and secured survival with a decisive 3-0 victory against Leverkusen on the final matchday. Stöger produced an outstanding display in that encounter, contributing a goal and an assist.
The midfielder now finds himself confronting another historic Bundesliga crisis, although he remained an unused substitute during Gladbach’s most recent defeat against Hoffenheim. Fortuna Düsseldorf, the only other club to begin a Bundesliga season with six defeats, failed to preserve their top-flight status in 1991/92.
Gladbach therefore have historical reasons to believe their season can still be salvaged, but considerably less evidence from their own performances. With another lengthy injury list, a fragile defensive structure, increasingly frustrated supporters, and an unprecedented Bundesliga record threatening to materialize, Blessin’s immediate priority is simply to stop the losing streak.
Friday evening’s meeting with Stuttgart provides the first opportunity to do so.
