Blessin in disguise? Gladbach face steep climb after derby defeat by Köln

Blessin's baptism of fire ends in derby defeat

A three-week break was exactly what Borussia Mönchengladbach needed after a chastening start to the Bundesliga campaign, and perhaps what their new coach, Alexander Blessin, would have ordered. His first match, a derby against arch-rivals Köln, offered a chance to train focus. Instead, it ended in a 2-1 defeat that leaves Gladbach rooted to the bottom of the table with no points from five games.

Blessin begins his reign exactly where his predecessors Eugen Polanski and, on an interim basis, Jan-Moritz Lichte were, licking their wounds at the start of a long week. He has had little time to settle. He only got to meet a host of key players in the days before the trip to Köln, while several others were unavailable, with Franck Honorat joined on the injury list by striker Tim Kleindienst and defender Ko Itakura. The task now is to get his defenders, in particular, to absorb the "frontal instruction" of his defensive principles, which kept his low-budget St Pauli side competitive.

Pointing to an Isak Johannesson wonder-strike and Saïd El Mala's winner as the difference would, however, ignore the small print. The result could have been worse for Gladbach, and had Köln's injured forwards Ragnar Ache and Thijs Dallinga been fit, the hosts might have had more firepower to finish the job.

El Mala the hero for Köln

What Köln had, though, was a hero fit for the occasion. El Mala is a throwback to less polished times: a wild, untamed talent who excited, infuriated and eventually decided the game. His status has changed since a summer move to Borussia Dortmund fell through. He became the first wearer of the club's No 10 shirt since Lukas Podolski and penned a contract extension.

"I've never been so fired up for a game," he said after his winner, cutting inside from the left to put a right-footed shot into the far corner past Moritz Nicolas, his trademark move.

"I've had a bit of a rough patch these past few weeks," El Mala said after his first goal since the opening day. "What sets me apart is that I don't give up and I keep going."

He has the hallmarks of a genuine star: talent, swagger and a growing sense of responsibility. As a teenager he scored 13 times in 20 league starts last season. Now a full Germany international, he is embracing the role of carrying the team.

Gladbach's losses mount

For Gladbach, the sorrow is not just in the defeat but in recognising they do not have an El Mala. The club have lost plenty in recent years, most notably Marcus Thuram, Jonas Hofmann and Rocco Reitz. Köln's home side were also without key figures, with midfielder Ellyes Skhiri carried off on a stretcher in the first half, and the goat mascot Hennes IX quarantined due to an outbreak of avian flu.

Blessin now must lift them off the foot of the table, a steeper task with Union Berlin winning at last against Elversberg, without many stars of note. He may not be the coach Gladbach fans dreamed of, but in this era of reduced means he is probably the right one for now.

Talking points from the weekend

Freiburg extend their lead

Freiburg continue at the top and extended their lead despite playing a chunk of the second half with 10 men against Schalke. Kaisuke Goto's 85th-minute header came from two substitutes combining, with Vincenzo Grifo teeing him up with a perfect cross. "It doesn't feel particularly special because it's the start of the season," a circumspect Matthias Ginter told Dazn.

Dortmund let a lead slip

Dortmund were frustrated after a Friday fumble against Werder Bremen. Having led 2-0 in the 88th minute, BVB lost their 100% record to a stoppage-time equaliser from former striker Niclas Füllkrug, his fourth successive game scoring. "We have to blame ourselves," said Niko Kovac, though he saved most of his ire for referee Bastian Dankert, who disallowed a potential opening goal by Ethan Nwaneri.

Bayern rescue a point at Augsburg

Bayern had to come back from a goal down twice on the short trip to Augsburg, after conceding the Bundesliga's fastest-ever goal, scored after 8.4 seconds by Robin Fellhauer, who charged down a Manuel Neuer clearance. The incident has reignited the question of how Vincent Kompany will manage the transition to Jonas Urbig as No 1, especially after Neuer's difficult World Cup comeback. Harry Kane assisted both goals for Ismaël Saibari and Nathaniel Brown, though Bayern had enough chances to win two games.

Nkunku hat-trick routs Frankfurt

Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick in RB Leipzig's 6-0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt, and now has more Bundesliga goals than Kane. Leipzig were two up within five minutes. Frankfurt's defensive problems continued even after the return of Adi Hütter, who criticised captain Robin Koch and took him off at the break. "I don't want to sugarcoat anything," Koch said. "It was a disastrous performance."

Leverkusen and Hoffenheim

Bayer Leverkusen secured a first away win of the season at Mainz 4-3 after letting a two-goal lead slip, with Moussa Diaby's first goal back at the club proving the winner. Patrik Schick equalled club greats Stefan Kießling and Dimitar Berbatov by scoring in the first five games of a Bundesliga season. Hoffenheim, meanwhile, let a 2-1 lead slip to Hamburg, who won 3-2 through Miro Muheim's stoppage-time finish. Christian Ilzer's side have lost four of five league games and now face Besiktas before a trip to Gladbach.

Bundesliga table after five matchdays

Freiburg – 13 pts
Borussia Dortmund – 13 pts
Bayern Munich – 11 pts
Bayer Leverkusen – 10 pts
RB Leipzig – 9 pts
Augsburg – 8 pts
Werder Bremen – 8 pts
Mainz – 7 pts
Elversberg – 7 pts
Köln – 7 pts
Stuttgart – 6 pts
Hamburg – 6 pts
Schalke 04 – 5 pts
Eintracht Frankfurt – 5 pts
Paderborn – 4 pts
Union Berlin – 4 pts
Hoffenheim – 3 pts
Borussia M'gladbach – 0 pts

Background: Gladbach's 2-1 defeat by Köln came after an opening-day loss pattern that saw the club bottom of the table. Earlier reporting from 21 September 2026 noted Blessin was expected to arrive to plug the defensive leaks. Form figure from FotMob (fetched 12 October 2026, Bundesliga 2026-27): El Mala had 4 appearances and 2 goals before the derby.