Gladbach with Farke on the way up: The winners and losers at the start of the season
Daniel Farke, Marcus Thuram
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Marcus Thuram, Christoph Kramer and Julian Weigl are among the top performers at Gladbach: The failures of Itakura and Neuhaus are bitter
Borussia Monchengladbach is back on course. Daniel Farke brought the foals back to their former strength in just a short time. After beating RB Leipzig 3-0, the team from the Lower Rhine is sixth, although they played almost exclusively against teams from the top half of the table. Accordingly, the list of winners is also longer than the losers list, half of which consists of injured players.
The winners of the start of the season
1. Marcus Thuram
Last season, Thuram seemed undisciplined and unmotivated. A separation in the summer seemed the only logical consequence. However, Daniel Farke somehow managed to awaken the fire in the offensive player. Thuram is bursting with energy and is the best Gladbach scorer of the season so far with three goals and three assists. In this form, the foals can still have a lot of fun with the athletic Frenchman.
2. Julian Weigl
Only shortly before the deadline day did Borussia Mönchengladbach announce Julian Weigl’s commitment. The former Dortmund player has only been with the team for three weeks and is already acting as the absolute boss in midfield. Weigl gives the game structure and shines with his usual sensational pass rate. Weigl has also made a much better impression on the defensive movement than when he was younger. 70 percent won duels underline this.
3. Christopher Kramer
Under Adi Hütter, Christoph Kramer played practically no role. The midfielder is likely to have struck many more as a TV expert than in his work as a professional footballer. However, Farke relies on the services of the veteran and places him in midfield and in defense. Kramer thanks him with consistent and strong fighting performances. The 31-year-old is also the leader that was missing last year.
4.Joe Scally
The young right-back has made a significant leap forward and, unlike last season, is able to keep his performance stable. Accordingly, Scally clearly won the duel on the right back against Stefan Lainer. Especially on the defensive, he is very handy and stable with 66 percent of duels won.
5. Yann Sommer
The Gladbach goalkeeper has improved again compared to the strong previous season. In particular against FC Bayern, Sommer put in the best goalkeeping performance that has been seen in recent years. So far, Sommer has saved 89 percent of opponent’s shots and thwarted 87.5 percent of opponent’s big chances. As of today, Sommer is clearly the goalkeeper of the season.
The losers of the start of the season
6. Florian Neuhaus
Florian Neuhaus acted solidly in the first few games without attracting much negative or positive attention. However, the 25-year-old recently suffered a partial rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will have to take a long break. So the World Cup chances of the once so hopeful midfield talent are probably gone. The loss of the midfielder also hurts Borussia Mönchengladbach enormously.
7. Ko Itakura
The Japanese didn’t get hit quite as hard as Neuhaus, but he will probably not be able to play a game in the first half of the season due to a torn inner ligament. Also one WM– Participation is currently still in the stars. Itakura actually got off to a great start with the foals. The injury is all the more bitter.
8. Nathan Ngoumou
The 22-year-old newcomer from Toulouse is supposed to enrich the foals’ wing play with speed and carefreeness. In the Frenchman’s first brief appearances, however, it quickly became clear that he wasn’t quite enough for the Bundesliga. Ngoumou still needs some time before he becomes a real factor. More than sporadic joker bets don’t seem to be possible at the moment.
9. Stefan Lainer
The Austrian has certainly speculated a bit about being able to emerge from the coaching change as a winner. In principle, it also plays into the hands of the right-back if the coach lets play with a back four. Lainer is currently clearly losing out in a duel with young Scally. A season on the bench is announced for the veteran.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Gladbach with Farke on the way up: The winners and losers at the start of the season released.