Matchday in focus: Mönchengladbach | OneFootball

A closer look at Eintracht’s Bundesliga Matchday 5 trip to Gladbach.

Tactics

“We’ve got a clear idea of how we want to play football,” said Borussia Mönchengladbach caretaker coach Eugen Polanski at the press conference ahead of his first home game at the helm.

His Eintracht counterpart Dino Toppmöller noted that the Foals played with “more energy” under Polanski last week, and the tactician is keen for his own charges to ignite a spark at BORUSSIA-PARK by playing with “conviction and desire”.

Polanski, whose side earned a point in a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen on his debut last week, said of that result: “We need to be much better on the ball. We really want to focus on having clear patterns when we’re in possession, getting forward with a real sense of purpose and to get ourselves in the best positions to shoot.

“If you have two systems it’s enough to have clarity, establish patterns and create space,” he continued. “It doesn’t make any sense to try to do eight different things – it’s better just to do two, but to execute them well.”

One of those two options is the 3-4-2-1 formation Gladbach employed against Leverkusen, having previously regularly used a 4-2-3-1. Polanski may yet switch to a four-man backline; while in charge of the club’s reserve team in the Regionalliga West (fourth division) he alternated between a 3-4-3 and a 4-4-2 with two holding midfielders.

One noticeable difference with the first team last week was the players’ willingness to go into tackles: the 226 challenges they contested was their highest such tally in a year.   Absentees

Robin Hack, Tim Kleindienst and Nathan Ngoumou will all definitely miss out. Franck Honorat (adductor) and Giovanni Reyna (thigh) are both doubtful, with Polanski monitoring their situation “day by day”.

For Eintracht, Rasmus Kristensen and Jessic Ngankam are both sidelined with injuries.

One to watch: Rocco Reitz

A Gladbach academy graduate, a fighter and a tireless runner, Rocco Reitz has been at the club since he was seven. Following two loan spells in Belgium with Sint-Truiden, the central midfielder established himself in the Foals’ first team in 2023/24 and has been there ever since.

His aggression, clever positioning and willingness to put in the hard yards make him a perfect fit in the middle of the park. Furthermore …

Facts and figures

Eintracht are unbeaten in their last eight Bundesliga games against Gladbach, winning four and drawing four.  The Eagles have scored more league goals so far this season (11) than every other team except Bayern Munich (18). Gladbach have the worst record in that regard with just one goal – the lowest tally at this stage of a top-flight season since 1996/97.