After an inconsistent first half of the campaign, the Foals are sitting in a respectable 10th place in the Bundesliga. However, while there is nothing to be immediately concerned about, when one begins to look at Borussia Mönchengladbach’s underlying stats, issues begin to crop up.
Are Gladbach effective with the ball?
After diving into the pass completion stats in the Bundesliga, Gladbach currently complete 81.6% of their passes; this percentage is the fourth best in the Bundesliga. This is while having attempted and made the fourth most passes in the league. Only Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have attempted and completed more.
From the outside all looks fine until the further statistics begin to rear their ugly head. The Foals rank 11th in the league for the most progressive passes made. However, the most damning statistic is that the Foals currently lie 15th in the Bundesliga for progressive passes made into the attacking third.
Just by looking at sides such as Bayern who have had Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard make over 100 progressive passes. On the other hand, Gladbach have Manu Kone who has created 108 progressive passes this campaign.
Looking around the Gladbach side shows no indication that without Kone they have a player capable of progressing the ball. This is because their second highest progressor is Alassane Plea with 65 progressive passes. With Plea having to drop deep in order to collect the ball, the lack of creativity in the midfield becomes alarming.
Looking over at Bayern Munich for a second time, it is Kimmich and Upamecano that are stand out players when it comes to passing into the attacking third. The Bayern pair have made over 100 passes into the attacking third, while Kone of Gladbach is only on 85. The drop off for Gladbach this time sees Ramy Bensebaini leading the chasing pack with 50 passes into the final third.
All of this would be concerning for Gladbach, but they do have a player running the midfield single handedly in Manu Kone. However, the alarm bells are ringing again, as the midfielder is heavily linked to a move away in the Summer.
With former Gladbach director Max Erbel finally completing his move to Leipzig, it is the side from Saxony that are looking to draw him away from the North Rhine-Westphalia. This only means that changes to this side will be imperative in the immediate future.
Furthermore, while on the topic of this grim-looking Gladbach, salt may as well be rubbed into the rapidly opening wounds. It might be assumed that the side controls the ball well, having made the fourth most passes in the league, but they have the most touches in the defensive third in the Bundesliga.
What is even more astounding is that it is not even close. Gladbach have made 4,950 touches in their defensive third which is 341 more than second placed Bayern.
Within Germany's top flight there is not a more sizable gap between two teams in the league. While being ahead of Bayern would usually only ever mean something positive, it is a figure far too high considering that Bayern have made the most touches in the attacking third and Gladbach drop down to 13th. The number is significantly disproportionate from the sides they surround themselves with in passing numbers.
Are Gladbach well organised off the ball?
Defensively, the statistics do not make for greater reading. VfL Bochum, Schalke and Augsburg are the only sides that have allowed more touches to the opposition in the defensive penalty area. For context, two of these sides have let in the most goals in the league and the other is a side that annually battles against relegation. Now, Gladbach have a problem of not being able to keep the ball outside of their box.
Which means, ultimately, Borussia Mönchengladbach struggle to get the ball into the attacking third when they have the ball, but cannot keep the ball out of their defensive third when they do not have the ball. All of these concerning issues were shown on global television against Schalke and Hertha Berlin in the last two weeks.
Two sides fighting for their lives at the foot of the table. Two sides that Gladbach should be rolling over as they march their way to European football and cement their name as a top German side. Instead they picked up one point and one goal against two sides that have been the laughing stock of Germany for the last few years.
That said, not all is doom and gloom for the five time German champions. Thankfully for the Foals they do have an attack on top of the world. With 42.5% of their shots on target they are the most accurate team in the Bundesliga, and only five sides have scored more.
Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea have created quite the lethal partnership up top, while Jonas Hofmann and Lars Stindl continue to show that age is nothing but a number. This quartet is slowly but surely dragging this side towards a comfortable, if underwhelming mid-table finish.
Where does this leave Gladbach?
However, to conclude, change needs to happen, and it needs to happen quickly. This side are struggling for creativity and genius on the ball, whilst seemingly being outclassed by sides destined for relegation off it.
Borussia Mönchengladbach once had it all; they used to dine on the finest table European football had to offer, even once making it all the way to the European Cup Final.
Nevertheless, they are no strangers to obscurity, plying their trade in Germany’s second tier just fifteen years ago. Midweek outings to the continent's most magnificent cities had no longer become the norm. Instead, annual trips to Osnabrück loomed. European football this season may be a dream, but a relegation battle next year would be a nightmare.