One Up, One Down

Second-division Karlsruhe's 1-0 win over Unterhaching last weekend won't go down as one of history's great matches. But it was enough to ensure that the traditional southern German club returns to the first division for the first time in the new millennium.

Karlsruhe did everything right this season. They won their first match 4-0 and were never worse than second in the table.

Karlsruhe's march to the top shows that you don't necessarily need masses of cash to be successful. Their budget for player salaries is only 13 million euros ($16 million). The team's management didn't splash out for big names -- most of the players on the squad are unfamiliar to anyone but hardcore fans.

Karlsruhe's strength is their midfield, built around German-Italian playmaker Giovanni Federico. Once dismissed as an eternal prospect who never blossomed, Federico has racked up 16 goals and 13 assists while Karlsruhe dominated the second division like no team ever before.

A lot of top-flight clubs could learn a lesson from Karlsruhe's success. You can afford to be mediocre at the front or the back. But it's impossible to win without power in midfield, which is where, of course, most of soccer matches are played.

Gladbach disaster

Borussia Mönchengladbach's 1-0 loss to Stuttgart last weekend wasn't the worst match they'd played this season. But it, combined with the other results, meant that Gladbach will be relegated -- after staying in first division since 2001 -- regardless of the results in the last three games.

Gladbach's demise is also edifying. The team began the season by allowing a star coach, former Champions League winner Jupp Heynckes, to spend almost as much as Karlsruhe's entire player budget to acquire new talent.

Defensively, Gladbach were okay. They've only conceded 38 goals thus far -- seventh best in the league. It's their offense, with a mere 22 goals to its name, that's been atrocious.

The poor performance up front comes down to a shoddy midfield. Given enough good chances, even the world's worst striker will score. But even the best forward, on the other hand, won't be popping in many goals, if he never gets the ball in the box.

Gladbach's new Argentine playmaker Federico Insua never seemed comfortable at Borussia Park. Nor did his potential back-ups Michael Delura and Belgian Bernd Thijs. Together with countryman Wesley Sonck, Thijs even succeeded in getting himself thrown off the squad.

The result was that Gladbach was unable to move the ball up the field with any control or coherence. Heynckes stepped down in February, but his successor Jos Luhukay couldn't turn things around. On paper he had the talent at his disposal, but on the pitch, that talent was too ill-matched to generate any consistent offensive pressure. Hello, second division.

Where they go from here

Getting promoted is a huge challenge for any small side, while big clubs who get relegated are expected to regroup and rise again. But don't expect Karlsruhe and Gladbach's fortunes necessarily to be reversed this time next season.

Karlsruhe will have to replace Federico, who's off to Dortmund. But even with their tiny budget, the German first division is mediocre enough that if Karlsruhe invest wisely, they should be able to compete with all but the top teams.

Meanwhile, Gladbach are slashing their budget in half -- from 60 million euros to 30 million euros ($78 to $39 million). They'll probably have to sell off their best young player, Marcel Jansen, and the heart and soul of the team, German international striker Oliver Neuville, is 34 years old and prone to injury.

It may take a while for Gladbach, previously a German soccer powerhouse, to recover from a dismal season of mistakes in management and midfield.