The pithy words of the Gladbach supervisory board chairman should be an alarm signal for coach Eugen Polanski. There is also repeated criticism of Kasper Hjulmand in Leverkusen. Things could get tight for both of them after the season, even if they can still achieve their clubs’ main targets. The games of VfL against Borussia Dortmund (Sunday, 5.30 p.m.) and Bayer the evening before (6.30 p.m.) at RB Leipzig are groundbreaking at the weekend.
At Bayer, Hjulmand’s mandate was clear when he took office on matchday 3. After Erik ten Haag was quickly dismissed after just two Bundesliga matchdays, the Dane was supposed to bring stability to the troubled team with his calm manner – and lead them into the Champions League. The start of the former Mainz coach was outstanding. In his first six games, Hjulmand got five wins and one draw before the first setback came with a 0-3 loss at Bayern Munich on November 1, 2025. In this game, Leverkusen appeared extremely discouraged compared to their strong run in the previous weeks, only had six shots on goal (compared to FCB’s 18) and also ran six kilometers less than the record champions.
Another low point in Cup semi-finals
What initially looked like a blip, also because Leverkusen won 6-0 against 1. FC Heidenheim in the game afterwards, turned out to be a recurring phenomenon as the season progressed. The team repeatedly revealed its great quality, but almost as often there were games that left fans and those in charge perplexed: 0:2 against FC Augsburg on matchday 13, later the 1:4 against VfB Stuttgart, the 0:1 at Union Berlin, a wild 3:3 in Heidenheim after a 2:0 lead and, particularly bitterly, the 1:2 in the second leg against Augsburg in front of their home crowd.
In the premier class, Bayer survived the group phase under Hjulmand and failed in the round of 16 against the eventual semi-finalists Arsenal FC. But too often there is a difference between the potential and the return of the squad that was forced to reassemble in the summer.
Point average drops after dream start
After his dream start with an average points average of 2.66 after six games, Hjulmand has now reached 1.86, but the Champions League is still within reach, two points behind fourth place.
The main accusations against the coach, in addition to the lack of consistency and the many appearances in which Leverkusen couldn’t get out of their lethargy: There was no noticeable development in the game and he wasn’t making any players better. Bayer had therefore taken the opposite development that their upcoming opponents RB Leipzig managed under Ole Werner.
Reverse development in Gladbach
His colleague Polanski also has to accept very similar accusations to Hjulmand – at a much lower level in the table. When the original Gladbacher inherited Gerardo Seoane after three games at VfL, the team had one point in their account. Things continued very slowly: he remained winless in his first five games as an interim solution, before a cushion was built up between matchday nine and matchday 13 with 13 out of 15 possible points, which Gladbach is still drawing on to this day. After that, however, the next step failed to materialize and Gladbach developed backwards again: Since matchday 13 there have only been three wins in 18 games, but Borussia should still be able to stay in the league with a six-point lead over the relegation zone.
Polanski recently emphasized after the 0-0 draw in Wolfsburg that he had “done his job” and that he was confident that he would continue to coach his VfL in the coming season. He can’t cite the points average of 1.11 as an argument for himself, and certainly not his team’s style of play: even in home games, such as against Heidenheim (2-2 with a lot of luck), Polanski relied on a defensive five-man chain with two clearers in front of them, and the offensive game is correspondingly poor. Under Polanski, the “Fohlenelf” have completely forgotten how to counterattack, they don’t know how to press either, and slow motion is not necessary for the transition game: Gladbach hardly scores any goals after the opponent loses the ball because there is no speed at all.
Hollmann calls for a “clear cut”
In addition, there is always: fear. After a 1-0 lead against Mainz, Gladbach hid behind until the equalizer was conceded in stoppage time. The chairman of the supervisory board, Michael Hollmann, who had only been in the background for a long time, then found very clear words for this type of football at the general meeting: “The Mainz game was the lowest point, I’m fed up”said the brewery owner. “From the table situation. But also from the way we maneuvered ourselves there.”
He now wants to draw conclusions from this and “have more influence”. Hollmann’s demand, which Polanski can certainly interpret in his own direction: “There has to be a clear cut and a different pace.” In view of these sentences, the question seems to be whether the decision against the coach has already been made – even if his team should now show a different face against Dortmund and then in Augsburg and against Hoffenheim.