Gerard Seoane [Trainer] – Bor. Mönchengladbach – Forum | Page 441

Quote from Wittiborusse

On the other hand, I simply miss the pressure of competition. Everyone had cemented their position. Be it due to a lack of alternatives due to injuries or simply because no one was there. The fact that we are going into the new season with the same line-up as of today is, in my opinion, a clear “mistake” on Virkus’ part.
The analysis clearly shows that the flood of goals conceded is the main point, but transfers only take place in the rows in front?

We can only hope that we can finally sell someone and then make improvements there.

This topic has been discussed so many times and I’m always a bit confused. Where does defense begin for you?

For me, defensive work starts right at the beginning. How do the strikers behave when the opposition has the ball? Do they just mess around and let the opposition do more or less, or is pressure applied so that the opposition has difficulty getting their game going, or are they even forced to make mistakes? Last season, the offensive players mostly just messed around and let the opposition do what they wanted. No pressure was applied, or if there was, it was only by individual players. This allowed the opposition to play at our goal as they pleased, which ultimately always caused problems for the defense. Players like Plea, Hack, Jordan, Ngoumou are/were not good at pressing. That’s why it’s difficult when you have an offense where 75% of the players can’t do anything with the ball. But these problems also have to do with mentality, willingness to run, and strength in duels.

Virkus and co. have addressed these problems very specifically:

Tim Kleindienst:
Mileage: 362.8 km (would have been the 2nd best Gladbach player after Weigl, by a long way)
intensive runs: 2863 (league best)
Sprints: 1056 (Ligabestwert)
Duel rate: 42%
Duels won: 384 (top 3 in the league)
Aerial duels won: 187 (league best)

If you add the scoring points, you can see why Kleindienst is now playing for Gladbach. The guy is an absolute mentality monster and Gladbach is missing something like that in attack.

Kevin Stoeger
Mileage: 327.7 KM (also by far the best Gladbach player after Weigl; top 23 in the league)
Duel rate: 50,%
Duels won: 325 (Top 13)
intensive runs: 555 (top 60 in the league; top 3 at Gladbach)
Sprints: 1960 (42nd in the league; 2nd best at Gladbach)

He is also one of the best crossers in the league and was one of the top players in Europe when it comes to assists, etc. He was also captain of Bochum.

Philip Sander:
Mileage: 267 km in 25 games; that’s more than 10 km per game; also 2nd best value after Weigl
Duel rate: 49%
Duels won: 214 (Top 100)
intensive runs: 1535 (Top 88)
Sprints: 433 (Top 118)

With Sander, the comparison is of course more difficult because he played in the second Bundesliga and as a 6/8, which he played roughly 50/50, he has a completely different running style than the other two. In addition, he was captain of Kiel.

The point is that Gladbach saw their weaknesses and attacked them. All three new signings bring exactly what Gladbach is lacking. And ideally these qualities should also have a positive effect on the defense. In addition, it seems that Gerry is finally switching to a kind of 433, which is clearly the best formation for the squad.

There will probably not be too many changes in the defense. It is important to note that Gladbach has (young) international players in Scally, Lainer, Itakura, Elvedi, Netz and Chiarodia.
So it can’t necessarily be a question of quality per se. Most players are out of form, which in my opinion was primarily due to the lack of structure in the game against the ball last season. This structure is being attacked with the above-mentioned changes to the personnel in the midfield and the new formation.

On the subject of competition:

Gladbach has covered pretty much every position twice, in midfield sometimes even three times.
In defence, with a 4-man chain, 2 right backs/left backs and 4 central defenders should be enough. Weigl, Kramer and Swider were also used in the central defenders during the pre-season. In my opinion, that is enough competition, unless Elvedi moves. Then there will probably be some movement in the defence. But Gladbach only plays in the Bundesliga and the cup, the squad is already big enough.

Long story short: Gladbach cannot be blamed for not doing anything about the weaknesses they identified. Changes have been made at all levels. These must now work.

Edit: The statistics are from different sources. Unfortunately, there are a few differences in the results. So 100% accuracy is difficult, but it should be roughly correct.
This post was last edited by hasamikun on 03.08.2024 at 15:45