Champions League: Gladbach lose as City ‘too big for us'

Manchester City 2-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach, Puskas Arena
(De Bruyne 12', Gündogan 18')
(City win 4-0 on aggregate)

Borussia Mönchengladbach weren't expected to beat Manchester City, Europe's in-form team and Champions League favorites, but that doesn't alter the reality that they're one more defeat away from eight straight in all competitions, which would equal a club record.

Gladbach's coach Wolf Werner didn't last very long after that unwanted milestone was reached in the 1989-90 season, and Marco Rose's position is also under serious scrutiny, despite sporting director Max Eberl repeatedly offering Rose a vote of confidence.

The man chosen by Borussia Dortmund to be their next coach, has a record of seven defeats and one draw since that announcement was made. Their next game is on Saturday against Schalke, a team doomed for relegation with just one win all season – that's surely the acid test for whether Rose can dig himself out of the deep hole he's found himself in.

"I think that our situation is not nice, but there are much, much worse things on this planet," Rose said before the game, which like the first leg had to be played in Budapest due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I have a great environment and enjoy great trust at the club."

That trust is surely wearing thin after a seventh straight defeat that has left Rose a lame duck leader of a team whose confidence is hitting new lows week after week.

City ‘ate us up'

Manchester City were simply too good for Gladbach all over the pitch. Pep Guardiola didn't even field a striker from the start, with Bernardo Silva operating as a false nine flanked by Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez – but City didn't need one.

Their opener came from captain Kevin de Bruyne, who rifled a fine shot in off the bar with his left foot, with Germany midfielder Ilkay Gündogan adding another soon after, capping a powerful burst and assist by Foden. Rose was under no illusions that his team had been outclassed over the two games.

"The opponent was simply very strong today, and we have to acknowledge that," Rose admitted to Sky. "Manchester City were too big for us today, and at some point you lose your conviction. All in all, we would have expected more. The boys wanted it, you could see that. But when you feel the quality on your own body, it can be tough."

Gladbach's captain Lars Stindl, who looked exhausted as he endured another tough evening, echoed Rose's assessment of the defeat – adding that they couldn't live with the intensity of City's pressing.

"We played against the best team in the world at the moment," he said. "We set out to do a lot, but after the first goal it was difficult. They really ate us up in the pressing."

Rose's attention now refocuses on the Bundesliga, with Gladbach having slipped to 10th place and the top four well beyond them. If there's any team Rose would wish to face right now, it's Schalke. Simultaneously, defeat in Gelsenkirchen doesn't bear thinking about for Rose.