by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- One of Germany's iconic football clubs seems trapped in stormy waters.
Ahead of their league encounter on home soil against Freiburg this Sunday, Borussia Monchengladbach has hit rock bottom in many ways.
Being last in the table after five rounds of matches for the first time in ten years, having recently sacked their coach, Swiss Gerardo Seoane, and with sporting director Roland Virkus resigning, the five-time German champions (last in 1977) and two-time UEFA Cup winners (last in 1979) seem to face a future full of dark clouds.
President Rainer Bohnof, a 1974 World Champion, discussed a comprehensive restructuring of the sports sector amid growing criticism.
While interim coach Eugen Polanski has been granted another game in charge, the Seventies' challenger of Bayern Munich is slipping into an identity crisis.
Success is a thing of the past despite the club's 125th anniversary.
At the same time, famous players such as Jupp Heynckes, Gunter Netzer, and Berti Vogts established the club's reputation as a leading force on the national and international stages several decades ago.
Having somewhat missed the transition into modern football, Ups and Downs have shaped the club's path lately.
Relegations in 2000 and 2007 hindered progress and development, and things didn't improve after former sporting director Max Eberl left in 2022, after 14 years in the role.
In nine years under Eberl's supervision, the club qualified three times for the UEFA Champions League (last in 2021) and the Europa League.
Today, former captain and current TV pundit Lothar Matthaeus said, "We talk about something else. We talk about the future in danger."
The German record international called the performance at the latest 4-6 defeat against Frankfurt, after a 6-0 setback at half time, "far from first and even second division standards."
Matthaeus called the first 60 minutes the worst in the club's history.
Having to replace their injured goals supplier, German international Tim Kleindienst, worsened the situation, while finding both a coach and a sporting director seems challenging.
After the upcoming league encounter, solutions are expected to be presented during the league's international break.
A quick turnaround seems necessary since Borussia is the only German first-division club not to have won a game in the 2025/26 season, having scored only two points and five goals.
As if rescue is already out of reach, striker Kleindienst announced he would leave if relegation occurred. On the other hand, the struggling team could view this announcement as a final wake-up call, as the time for a turnaround appears to be short. ■
