👀 Of all people: This Gladbach star could prove crucial now | OneFootball

Some players really come alive, especially when they are substituted in during the course of the game or even in the final phase. 

Franck Honorat demonstrated this almost perfectly during the Foals’ clash against St. Pauli on Friday evening. Initially relegated to the bench, the 29-year-old delivered arguably his best performance of the season after being brought on in the 57th minute, and also scored his first goal of the season. Gladbach won 2-0. 

This exclusion from the starting eleven had been preceded by several lackluster performances and a lack of goals. 

A report by ‘Bild’ raises the question of whether Honorat, despite his undisputed quality, might actually be more helpful coming off the bench. 

With his pace and penetrating runs, he could also help in the derby against Cologne next weekend, especially in the final stages of the match, and create decisive moments. 

For Gladbach coach Polanski, this is likely to be another tough decision. Regarding his choice to initially bench Honorat on Friday, he told ‘Bild’: “As a young coach, you naturally struggle with leaving such an outstanding player out. Of course, a Franck Honorat should always play and will always play.”

In the end, it was a decision to start with Wael Mohya and Hugo Bolin, which turned out to be the right one. 

He said he had spoken to his star player beforehand, who took it professionally. 

Whether such a conversation will take place before the derby on Saturday remains to be seen. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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