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Gladbach's DFB Cup exit: Coach Polanski criticizes poor performance
FC St. Pauli defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 in the DFB Cup and ended their losing streak. A look at the game.
Gladbach's DFB Cup exit: Coach Polanski criticizes poor performance
Yesterday evening, Borussia Mönchengladbach's really big cup dreams were dashed. After a disappointing duel against FC St. Pauli, which ended 1-2, coach Eugen Polanski's team was eliminated from the DFB Cup. This is the fifth defeat in a row for Borussia in the cup competition, which certainly doesn't help the mood in the team.
Before the cup fight, Gladbach could look back on a series of three wins and one draw in the Bundesliga. But in the cup the team showed that they lacked the necessary energy, dynamism and ideas on offense. There wasn't much to be seen of their previous performances against Hamburg, which Polanski also clearly addressed. The coach called for a faster and more direct game, as well as tactical variations in the form of diagonal lateral shifts.
The course of the game and the painful failures
With a goal in the 56th minute, Haris Tabaković initially brought Gladbach back into the game, but the team couldn't find any solutions to be really dangerous against the deep opponent from St. Pauli. The team was also missing some top performers: Florian Neuhaus, Robin Hack and Jens Castrop were injured, while Kevin Stöger, Giovanni Reyna and Shuto Machino were called into the starting eleven. While Reyna looked good on the field, Stöger and Machino remained pale.
The observers also noticed the substitution of Franck Honorat, who had to leave the field due to injury. But there is the all-clear: sports director Rouven Schröder said that Honorat could probably be ready for action again for the next game against Mainz 05 on Friday (8:30 p.m.). This would be welcome news for Borussia, who urgently need to reduce their catalog of injury-related absences.
FC St. Pauli as a surprise team
Contrary to all expectations, the game against Gladbach was very positive for FC St. Pauli, who were considered underdogs before the game. They appeared with a clear defensive strategy, which was much more stable compared to the last meeting, which Gladbach won 4-0. Even the injury-related absences of David Nemeth and top goalscorer Andréas Hountondji couldn't derail Hamburg.
Coach Alexander Blessin saw the DFB Cup as an opportunity to distract the team from their current series of defeats. And that worked! With a flexible squad and well-thought-out personnel changes, the Hamburg team played their game without having to feel the pressure of the league position.
A look at the Gladbach Cup history
Borussia Mönchengladbach's record in the DFB Cup is not exactly impressive. With a total of nine first-round exits in the DFB Cup, it has become a habit for Borussia to exit the competition early. This list goes back to 1964 and includes some bitter moments, including the elimination against Altona after they had previously won some successful games in the West German Cup. Every further defeat hurts even more.
After the elimination against St. Pauli, the Gladbachers are now hoping to get back on the road to success in the Bundesliga. For the time being, all that remains for the hubris in the cup is hope for a better fate on future occasions.