Bundesliga Matchday 2: Gladbach roll back the years

Borussia Moenchengladbach fans show their colours

Bundesliga-meister Geoff Edwards is back to bring you the latest from Germany’s big league. And there have been some pretty big results…

Those in search of some extraordinary action in their weekend’s football could have done worse than follow the Bundesliga’s 2nd matchday, as shocks aplenty have turned the current league table upside down. The upsets began on Friday night as Marco Kurz’s newly-promoted Kaiserslautern humbled champions Bayern Munich in the Fritz-Walter stadion, to reach the top of the table with a 100% record.

As if that wasn’t suprising enough, ‘Lautern’ are joined in the 100% club by, amongst others, relegation favourites Hannover 96, fresh from their excellent 2-1 victory away at troubled Schalke, and FSV Mainz 05 who came back marvellously away at Wolfsburg from 3-0 down to win 4-3 and consign boss Steve McClaren to his 2nd consecutive defeat.

Anyone thinking that Mainz’s victory was the last unexpected tale of the weekend, however, would have done well to tune in on Sunday as Borussia Moenchengladbach strode into the backyard of derby rivals Bayer Leverkusen, where they have not won in 16 years, and handed out a veritable thumping, running out 6-3 winners.

The shocked hosts had no answer to Borussia’s incisive counter-attacking, orchestrated by the cultured Venezuelan Juan Arango and two young German talents Marco Reus and Patrick Herrmann, who notched 4 stunning goals between them.

It was an incredible football match, one that will leave coach Michael Frontzeck, a former Gladbach player, needing a fair few days to let it all sink in:

“This was a perfect away game for us … we couldn’t have imagined this in our wildest dreams.”

Judging by the look of disbelief in the faces of Gladbach fans at the BayArena, it was clear they shared Frontzeck’s sentiments. Some of the older, and more romantic, among them may have momentarily believed they had travelled back in time, to the halcyon days of the 1970s, when such scorelines were the norm.

During that golden period, Gladbach, under coaching legends Hennes Weisweiler and then Udo Lattek, went toe to toe with Bayern Munich, picking up 5 Bundesliga titles, 1 DFB Cup and 2 UEFA Cups.

Without the financial clout of some of their rivals, Gladbach developed a team of talented young players that earned the club its nickname of the Foals, and captivated neutrals throughout the land with, at least during Weisweiler’s tenure, an exciting brand of cavalier attacking football.

Gladbach’s team, laden with talented individuals such as the effervescent playmaker Gunther Netzer, goal machine Jupp Heynckes, now boss at Leverkusen, and Scottish coaching legends Berti Vogts and Rainer Bonhof, racked up league record scorelines of 12-0, 11-0 and 10-0 (twice).

Of course, it won’t be long until Gladbach’s fans get brought back down to earth from their nostalgic highs. Despite this stunning victory, it will take time before the Foals can once again count themselves as one of Germany’s most potent clubs.

Since the 80s, a lack of money has seen them regularly have to sell their best players and they have been unable to regain their place as Bayern’s main rivals. They were even forced to endure a couple of spells in the doldrums of the 2nd division (from 1998-2001 and 2007-2008) and have been through 17 managers since 1987.

Whilst there are signs that things are currently moving in the right direction under Frontzeck and Sporting Director Max Eberl, there is still a long way to go.  The glorious attacking football served up by Reus, Herrmann, Arango and co on Sunday has still to be tempered by Gladbach’s porous defence, which was evident to all at the BayArena at the weekend. All 3 of Leverkusen’s goals could have been prevented by even a moderate level of defensive competence.

With most teams in the Bundesliga currently opting for a defensive style that can be safely labelled ‘kamikaze’, Frontzeck may well believe that defensive reinforcement is not necessary, echoing the sentiments of the legendary Weisweiler, but in the long-term it is a strategy that could cost them.

Speaking of cost, money is another issue affecting the Rheinland outfit. Despite a move in 2004 to their new Borussia Park stadium, which holds 54,000 for Bundesliga matches, the Foals are still not able to compete at the top end of the transfer market and have to focus on bringing through young players like Reus and Herrmann. Any progress at the Borussia Park will have to be achieved slowly, as Eberl is all too aware:

“We have a very solid and respectable season behind us, but that’s something we’ll have to repeat over the next few years to establish ourselves in the Bundesliga. At that stage we can then start thinking about taking the next step… Gladbach are a very popular club, but we’re well aware of what’s gone on over the past eleven or twelve years. There’s a lot of catching up to do, and it needs to be done calmly and with continuity”.

Such sensible words may not bring back memories of the 70s, but they will surely encourage Gladbach fans that better times are ahead.

Results – Matchday 2:

Kaiserslautern 2-0 Bayern Munich
Schalke 04 1-2 Hannover 96
Werder Bremen 4-2 FC Koeln
VfL Wolfsburg 3-4 Mainz 05
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 Hamburger SV
Nürnberg 1-2 Freiburg
St. Pauli 0-1 1899 Hoffenheim
Bayer Leverkusen 3-6 Borussia Moenchengladbach
VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Borussia Dortmund

(photo via Kilicaslan on Flickr)

Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Berti Vogts, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Fritz Walter Stadion, FSV Mainz 05, German Bundesliga, German Football, Gunther Netzer, Hannover 96, Hennes Weisweiler, Juan Arango, Jupp Heynckes, Kaiserslautern, Marco Kurz, Marco Reus, Max Eberl, Michael Frontzeck, Patrick Herrmann, Rainer Bonhof, Schalke 04, Steve McClaren, Udo Lattek, Vfl Wolfsburg