Borussia Mönchengladbach are the only Bundesliga side yet to take a point after five games, and they sit 18th with a goal difference of -11. The start is ugly. It is also not unfamiliar, because the club have been here before and pulled out of it before the damage became permanent.
Gladbach's early-season damage
They have conceded 18 goals and scored 7, which tells the story better than the table alone. Alexander Blessin opened his spell with a derby defeat at Cologne, and Gladbach have failed to win by Matchday 5 for the second season running, and for the seventh time in their Bundesliga history.
Rouven Schröder told bundesliga.com: "The current situation isn't good." He also said: "We had a similar situation last season and we'd all hoped not to be there again."
Why history leaves some room for hope
Since 1963/64, the side in last place after Matchday 5 has been relegated only 22 times. Over the past 26 years, that has happened only 12 times. Gladbach's own 2015/16 season is the clearest reminder that a terrible start does not have to define the rest of the campaign, because they lost their opening five league matches and still finished fourth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
The point is not that this is fine, because it clearly is not. The point is that 0 points after five games is a crisis, not a verdict. Gladbach still have time to turn the season around, but they need results quickly, and their next league run will decide whether this stays a bad start or becomes something much harder to unwind.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
