Three points and four players will be lost

At VfB Stuttgart, the situation is dramatic: Nine players are injured, also the world champion Pavard missing for several weeks. Trainer Weinzierl is making a clear announcement to the members of the Board: He wants to strengthen the team in the winter break. Click here for the table of the Bundesliga. the By Ulrich Hartmann, Mönchengladbach

A so-called Joker-the gate is hit by a substitute player. For Borussia Mönchengladbach players Raphael and Florian Neuhaus at 3:0 shot victory against VfB Stuttgart League-wide, the Joker-goals number 69 and 70 in this season. So many not in the League yet. At VfB Stuttgart, with nine goals, attack the weakest Team, would you cheer in difficult times, like a wild goal, but instead, two of them in Mönchengladbach kind of contrary destinies: a place of reference for the substitute, quite Joker-enabled Erik Thommy - and then an own goal by a short-time thereafter, violates substituted player. This player is calculated by the world champion Benjamin Pavard. He's out with a muscle bundle crack injury in the thigh for several weeks.

The 22-year-old Frenchman pulled away in the second half, obviously, first of all, a fiber tear in the thigh but wanted to keep brave because the VfB had already changed three times and after the sending off for Tommy already was. In the 84. Minute under him, then ran with a painful lunge, the own goal to the 0:3, and then to continue playing once and for all. Stuttgart finished ninth of the match. Andreas Beck and Dennis Aogo had already been hurt replaced. Three points and four players have lost the Stuttgart-based therefore - the question now is, how well the Elf looks to win next Saturday at home against Hertha BSC.

The short - term and long-term failures of the magnitude of a blow to take at the VfB gradually strong team: in the defense chain, Pablo Maffeo, Holger Badstuber, Benjamin Pavard and Borna Sosa, midfielder Erik Thommy, Dennis Aogo, Andreas Beck, Berkay Özcan, and hardly to be replaced by Daniel Didavi. Physically, without prejudice to the storm, in which Mario Gomez and Anastasios Donis in Gladbach, however, ineffectiveness demonstrated is, at best; what, again, is the fact that Donis has a longer injury break behind him and obviously still not in the best of condition.

Gomez has not scored for two months

sporting Director Michael Reschke, the just need to know the disadvantages of his approach to "small squad", reports of an extensive conversation he had just had with Mario Gomez, which is why he all the skeptics Mario is reassured: "incredibly clear and focused, we will experience before Christmas is still an important goal from him." In Stuttgart, people are arguing whether a goal in the final training session could be meant to be.

The human resources for coach Markus Weinzierl are limited in the remaining Games against Berlin, Wolfsburg and Schalke, all the more obvious that the club will use the transfer window in January for obligations. "In this season, many games are decided on the Bank," said Weinzierl on the two Gladbacher Joker gates - "but we are busy for that sort of thing much too thin." That was a not-too-subtle announcement to the Board of Directors.

In Mönchengladbach was sitting on Sunday, a player on the bench who is currently not even the second or third substitute candidate: Patrick Hermann. The 27-Year-old was once considered one of the greatest talents on the attack wings, but as the Gladbach needed on Sunday a new offensive impetus, came Raphael, Neuhaus and Johnson into the game. Herrmann is a sales position, and as interested in the addition of players, the following applies: the VfB.

With nine goals and eleven points, Stuttgart is the third-last. Nine players are injured, Gomez has not scored for two months. The situation is dramatic, but head of sports, Reschke demonstrates Confidence. The staffing Situation was giving him quite a "tummy ache", he says, but by the defeat in Gladbach have changed in the tabular constellation little. "The situation remains challenging, with such a setback, we have to come clear." Which eleven players should come on Saturday, however, is the big question.