Bundesliga: Freefalling Gladbach hit new low

Augsburg 3-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach, WWK Arena
Vargas 52', Richter 76', Hahn 89' – Neuhaus 68'

The worst feeling for Borussia Mönchengladbach is not knowing whether they've hit rock bottom yet. This latest low is their seventh straight defeat in all competitions – fourth in the Bundesliga – with a growing sense of disquiet engulfing the club.

The decision to confirm head coach Marco Rose's end-of-season departure for Borussia Dortmund - still the last team Gladbach beat seven weeks ago – has proved to be a disaster. Gladbach have picked up one point since then and are in the kind of form that starts to question whether Rose will even survive the season.

"I cannot understand the question,” Rose snapped back, when asked by journalists whether he would consider resigning. It was a legitimate question after yet another alarming defeat, but Rose insisted that his side showed a "good mentality”.

Rose's brief at the start of the season was to guide Gladbach back into the Champions League but they could conceivably end the weekend in 11th place, already behind the likes of Union Berlin, Freiburg and Stuttgart. Gladbach are still in the Champions League and face Manchester City next, but even Rose admitted that it will be tough to lift his players for the trip to Budapest.

"The Champions League game that we earned last season and up until December doesn't really suit us now," Rose conceded. "We would rather have a training week to prepare for the core tasks, namely points in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, we want to put in a good performance in Budapest. But we have to see who is ready for action."

"We have to focus on our principles, which are important for our game,” Rose said, referring to his team's previously solid defense. "If we put them into practice, we will be able to enjoy the game again.”

Stindl the villain

In Augsburg, Gladbach started reasonably well. The first half saw them cut through the Augsburg defense multiple times, but whether it was Marcus Thuram or Valentino Lazaro, both spurned clear openings. Ultimately though, Gladbach's villain of the night was Lars Stindl. When Gladbach were awarded a soft penalty in the 38th minute, the Gladbach captain's penalty lacked any conviction – missing the left-hand post by quite a margin.

And to make matters worse for Stindl, shortly after halftime he was outjumped by Ruben Vargas, who nodded in Daniel Caligiuri's corner at the near post. A glimpse of Gladbach's fighting spirit shone through when Florian Neuhaus kept his cool in the box, guiding a low shot into the bottom corner.

Neuhaus was Gladbach's only ray of light in an otherwise murky display and he almost grabbed a second, forcing Rafal Gikiewicz into a fine save low to his left. But Gladbach's second half flourish merely made their collapse even harder for Rose to stomach.

Marco Richter turned the ball in from close range to put Augsburg back in front, with Richter turning provider for former Foal Andre Hahn, whose impudent chip over the advancing Yann Sommer dashed his former club's chances in some style.