Borussia Mönchengladbach appoint Alexander Blessin as head coach on deal through 2028

Gladbach turn to Blessin

Borussia Mönchengladbach have appointed Alexander Blessin as their new head coach, handing the 48-year-old a contract running through 2028 as they attempt to rescue a season that has already gone badly wrong. The former Genoa and Union Saint-Gilloise coach takes over a side sitting bottom of the Bundesliga after losing all four of their opening matches, a run in which they have conceded 16 goals.

Blessin replaces Eugen Polanski, who was relieved of his duties after a start the club could no longer defend. Four defeats from four games is the worst opening stretch in the club's recent memory, and the defensive numbers — 16 goals conceded in four matches, an average of four per game — made a change unavoidable long before the formal announcement arrived.

A coach with a point to prove

Blessin arrives in the Bundesliga with a coaching CV built largely in Italy and Belgium. He made his name at Union Saint-Gilloise during their remarkable rise in Belgian football and spent last season in charge of FC St. Pauli, and Gladbach are betting that his organisational work on the training ground can quickly tighten a defence that has leaked goals at a historic rate.

His in-tray is straightforward to describe and hard to solve. Gladbach's back line has been opened up in transition repeatedly, individual errors have compounded systemic problems, and confidence is at a low ebb. The club's decision to commit to a contract through 2028, rather than a short-term firefighting arrangement, signals that the board sees Blessin as part of a longer rebuild rather than a quick fix.

What it means for the squad

For the players, the immediate question is how quickly the new head coach can settle on a first-choice back four and a defensive structure. Expect rotation in the early weeks as Blessin assesses what he has inherited, with lineup changes likely from his first match in charge. Set-piece defending, a chronic weakness so far this season, will be an early priority.

Gladbach's supporters have been through false dawns before, and the club know that a bottom-of-the-table team in late September is already in an early relegation battle. Blessin's first fixtures will now carry the season's full weight: points on the board quickly, or the gap to safety grows with every round. The appointment is the club's clearest statement yet that they intend to fight the drop rather than accept it.

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